February 21–27, 2007, Number 432
Which side of the Portage Lake Lift Bridge to live on is only one of many factors studenets consider when choosing off-campus housing.
Off-Campus Housing
Several parents have emailed me personally to find out about off campus housing. Although the best time to start looking for housing is right after Christmas break, there are still plenty of places open. This article will be devoted to living off campus.
Many students find that the residence halls do not offer all the living options that they desire. The arguments made for living off campus usually revolve around several topics: price of the residence halls, lack of space, lack of privacy, and cafeteria food/meal plans. By moving off campus, the student gets to pick the apartment or house they like, with the amount of space and privacy they want. They also are responsible for all of their own food, so they don’t have to stick to set meal times.
The undergraduate student government keeps a list of off campus housing online. Students can go there and search through the listings by what they are looking for. The other resource that is often underutilized is the housing forum of Barkboards. I discussed last week that this is a great place to search for roommates and places to live.
If your student is deciding to move off campus, there are some things they must remember to consider. There is more than just the rent payment that they need to worry about. This list is just a few important things a student should know before signing a lease.
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Terms of the lease: Is it an 8 or 12 month lease? Is reduced summer rent available? |
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Utilities: Is electric and/or heat included with rent? Approximately how much do monthly utility bills run? |
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Pets: While most landlords aren't willing to allow them, some will. What, if any, pets are allowed? Are there any special provisions associated with having a pet (such as increased rent or an additional cleaning deposit)? |
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Location: Will a vehicle be necessary to get to school or to the grocery store? Is the apartment or house located on a hill, icy road, or infrequently plowed street? (Some cars may have problems with this.) |
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Laundry: Are there laundry facilities in the building? Are they free or coin operated? |
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Parking: How many parking spaces are available? Where are they located? Is it plowed? Some apartments in the area do not offer parking. Others may only have enough space to allow one vehicle per unit. Students should keep this in mind that parking on the street is restricted during the winter months. |
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Garbage: Is garbage disposal included in the rent? If so, is there a dumpster? If not, students must factor in the cost of purchasing special garbage bags from the city (they typically run $1/each), and find a place to store waste until "garbage day." |
The Daniel Heights apartments are also another choice for living close to campus, but not in the residence halls. Contracting for these apartments starts very soon, February 20, and registration goes by the student’s class standing. Your student may sign up for the apartments by clicking here. They will then have to sign in to register. Questions concerning living in the Daniel Heights apartments can be sent to housing@mtu.edu.
The decision of living off campus is a major one for students. The one thing the student has got to realize is that they have to take the responsibility of living off campus. Next week, I will be discussing re-contracting and living in the residence halls.
If there are ever any topics that you feel should be addressed, please send me a personal email and I will try my best to include that in my future articles.
Until next week,
- Michigan Technological University
- 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931-1295
- 906-487-1885