Creating a Positive Student Housing Experience

For college students, securing housing is a stressful task. Students have to search for roommates, take out student loans, and save up money from part-time jobs.

Those who choose to live off campus must navigate renting. Since most college students are between 18 and 22 years old, many students find themselves renting apartments or houses for the first time. As they search for a property that fits their needs, they need to narrow down criteria like location, affordability, and availability. This can be a difficult process.

Can a landlord or property manager alleviate some of this stress? Ensuring that you communicate efficiently and maintain your property will give students positive housing experiences. Understanding a student’s unique needs as a tenant is another way to improve their renting experience. College students are usually looking to rent along with roommates and may only be interested in short leases that align with the academic year.

Providing a safe and clean property is your duty as a landlord. In addition, providing a positive housing experience will give you a good reputation as a landlord, ensuring that word-of-mouth advertising will work in your favor. College students will do an especially good job at sharing their experiences with classmates who may be in search of housing themselves.

Now, how can you create a positive housing experience? The following four tips will help you learn how to rent to college student tenants.

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1. Communication

Though it may be a soft skill, communication is the most important quality a landlord can have. Any tenant will appreciate clear and efficient communication. To start, create a welcoming environment by introducing yourself to your tenant. A friendly introduction will open up lines of communication so that your tenant feels comfortable reaching out to you should problems arise.

Besides friendly customer service, landlords should set up systems that allow their tenants to contact them. If your property needs maintenance, your tenant should be able to file a maintenance request. Create a request process that works best for you, your tenants, and your property. For some landlords, this may be as simple as a phone call, email, or text. Others may prefer using a 3rd-party communication system or a short form.

Unfulfilled maintenance requests can lead to emergency conditions, so quick communication is important. For example, the moisture from a leaking faucet can grow mold. If you and your tenants communicate efficiently, damages can be prevented. In addition, a quick response will show your tenants that you are reliable.

You must also communicate when you or a maintenance person will be entering the tenant’s rental property. In New York, one week’s notice is required for repairs and 24 hours’ notice is needed for inspections.

2. Property Maintenance

College students have a reputation for not caring about their living conditions. Many people assume students are comfortable living in broken-down or dirty buildings. However, this stereotype isn’t true. While college students may prioritize their budget, they deserve to live in clean, safe and maintained properties. As a landlord, you should invest in property maintenance, even if you primarily rent to college students. There is no reason to let your property fall into disrepair.

As your tenants move in and out, you should conduct regular inspections of your property. Make sure to repair any damages, whether caused by normal wear and tear or by tenants. Communicating with your tenant is one way to ensure that the property is maintained.

3. Short Leases

Students are looking to rent during the academic year, which may not follow a typical timeline. Academic years are shorter. Semesters are usually around four or five months long, with months of breaks in between. For these reasons, students may be looking for leases that are shorter than the average renter.

In order to create a positive experience for student renters, look into offering leases based on the academic year. A lease like this likely starts in August and ends in May or June.

Sometimes students study abroad for a semester or transfer schools. You may want to create a clause in your lease that clarifies whether you allow subletting. Subletting gives students flexibility and keeps your property occupied should a tenant have to move. However, it can provide extra damage or legal risks.

Overall, college town properties will likely have frequent turnovers. This may require extra maintenance or inspections.

4. Allow Roommates

Because students are usually operating on tight budgets, they often look for housing that will allow roommates. Roommates will be able to split the rent and save money. There are multiple options for handling roommates.

Some landlords require roommates to have a joint and several liability clauses. This means that everyone on the lease is responsible for the entire rent. If one tenant is unable to pay their portion of rent, their roommate is required to cover the cost. Both roommates are penalized if rent is not made.

This can create a difficult situation for college students, who may not have close or trusting relationships with their roommates. Consider writing the lease so that tenants only have legal responsibility over their own portion of rent. This lessens the risk for individual tenants and will make it easier for college students to access your housing.

Another way to prepare for roommates is to install locks on every bedroom door. This ensures that each tenant will be able to access their own private and safe space. Your tenants will not have to worry about roommates going through their things, stealing, or invading their privacy.