When choosing an apartment, there are many different elements to take into consideration. First and foremost on the minds of most college students is generally the bottom-line: how much. Once a budget is set there is a bevy of other issues to take into account, such as roommate selection, security of the neighborhood, convenience to campus, and so on. As the time to think about next year’s accommodations rears its ugly head, it can be hard to sift through all the housing information out there. So here’s how your apartment choices break down, minus the B.S.
The On-Campus Conundrum
For college freshmen that choose to brave the dorm situation for their first two years, UB bestows upon them the honor of allowing them to move into the on campus apartments. Without “serving your time” in UB’s charming dormitory facilities, it can be rather difficult for your application to be accepted to live in the Hadley, Flint, or South Lake Village apartments. These apartments are typically reserved for juniors and seniors that can afford the $495/month minimum rates that have been proposed for the 2005-2006 academic year.
There are many benefits to living on-campus, not the least of which is the convenience of not having to find a parking spot on campus, especially in the winter months. All of the on campus apartments allow for individual leases; the apartments lease by the bedroom and therefore your roommates can’t suddenly move out and stick you with double the rent. The apartments come fully furnished with all of the necessities, unless you’re a real clotheshorse, in which case some may experience a storage shortage. Utilities are included in the monthly fee and therefore the bill-splitting dispute is successfully avoided. In fact, since the utilities are included in the monthly fee, many apartment residents have developed rather careless habits of climate control by opening windows to adjust temperatures when the heat or A/C is cranked too high for their comfort. Washers and dryers are free, available in every building, and are typically in better condition than those at the dorm buildings. Each apartment building has swipe-card access and intercom security features. The parking lots are well-lit and often patrolled by campus police.
When asked what he liked the least about living in the on campus apartments, UB graduate student Asif Abidi replied, “I’d have to say the slow or lack of response to issues from the Hadley staff. Oh, and then thin walls…”
Drawbacks to living on campus are that its residents are subject to the whims of University Residence Halls & Apartments (URH&A) rules. A frequent complaint of UB apartment tenants is the fact that there is a mandatory security deposit of $450 due at the lease signing which is withheld until, “A final inspection and determination of charges will occur after the student has vacated and removed all belongings.” Once the lease date ends and the apartment is vacated, the notorious common area damages are imposed upon unsuspecting students who are looking to recover their full $450, but instead are forced to succumb to the damage charges levied against them. Damage charges cover everything from holes in the wall to paint touch-ups and miscellaneous “damages” that can result from general wear and tear and/or abuse of the apartment and its furnishings. Damage charges may be appealed, but most students, even the tidiest, will be charged some capricious fee.
One of the other more arbitrary and annoying regulations is that there is no co-ed on campus apartment living. The University has decided that 20-something co-eds should not be allowed to cohabit the same apartment – in spite of the fact that each resident would maintain their own bedroom. Perhaps, with the new development of an affordable apartment complex, such as The University Village at Sweethome, which caters to UB’s undergraduates, the university’s monopoly will be broken.
Off Campus Up North
The University Village at Sweethome has been causing quite a ruckus among UB students. Located on Sweethome Road, less than a mile from the Rensch entrance to North Campus, this apartment complex is giving a whole new meaning to college life. Their slogan is, “You’ve never lived like this!” And they’re right. The apartment prices are comparable and, in some instances, less than those of UB’s apartments. Starting at $527 per person per month for a 1,218 square foot, four bedroom/four bathroom unit, these brand new apartments make UB’s on campus dwellings look like tenements on Avenue Q.
The Sweethome apartments individually leased four, two, and one bedroom units. Each resident has their own bathroom, doing away with the question of whose turn it is to scrape the soap scum from the sides of the tub. The kitchens feature refrigerators with icemakers, hardwood flooring, and in-unit washers and dryers. The fully furnished apartments include full size beds and walk-in closets. The success of this nationally ranked student housing complex is largely due to its attention to details. Some of the more notable perks of living at this new complex are a community building with an indoor pool, two 20-person hot tubs that are connected by one hot little waterway, game rooms with PlayStation and Game Cube videogame systems plugged into plasma screen TVs, a movie theater with seating for 65, a 3,000 square foot state-of-the-art gym with brand new equipment, and his and hers locker rooms with tanning beds.
The University Village at Sweethome is part of a publicly-traded company, American Campus Communities, known for providing high-standard student housing complexes across the country. According to Mary Elise Herald, assistant general manager for the University Village’s leasing office temporarily located in The Commons, Suite 520, “The University Village at Sweethome is the biggest and newest of the campus communities and was developed at UB in response to a desperate need for more student housing.”
As more and more students look to The University Village for their housing needs, this could potentially drive down the ever-rising costs of UB’s apartments. Herald comments, “American Campus Communities have a good working relationship with the administration staff of the University at Buffalo. Hopefully The University Village will be able to shoulder some of the burden of finding housing for UB’s ever-growing undergraduate and graduate population.”
Another popular apartment complex for UB students who would rather live closer to north campus are the Colonie Apartments. This older apartment complex is located a little over a mile from north; just off Sweethome Road. Colonie Apartments is a more affordable option for students on a budget. They come unfurnished and the rent, which typically runs from about $322.50 per student per month, does not include utilities. The apartments are two levels and each apartment has a patio or a balcony. The complex itself is equipped with tennis courts and an outdoor swimming pool. The complex houses a rather large population of UB students and is convenient to campus.
Living Drrty South Style
Although UB’s South Campus does not have the ability to provide on campus apartments due to city space constraints, the University Heights has been called home to many students looking for affordable digs. Thanks to the Off-Campus Housing division of Sub-Board I, it can be as easy as a few clicks on their website, www.subboard.comhttp://www.offCampusHousing.buffalo.edu, to search for housing, learn about the “zones” of the University Heights, and find a home to call your own. The ever-popular Main Street bars are just a drunken stumble away, Amy’s Place, one of the best and cheapest breakfast tickets in the city, is nearby, and the area caters to college students who know the value of a good $.50 slice of pizza at 2 a.m.
Heights resident Scott Merrill of Merrimac says, “I enjoyed being able to walk down the streets just knowing that I could do just about anything I could imagine and it would be perfectly acceptable.”
Apartments, flats, duplexes, and houses available for rent line the streets of the University Heights surrounding South Campus. If you round up a few of your friends, there are houses available for rent for less than $200 per person! If this seems to be a little more in your price range, do your research about the home and the surrounding neighborhood, round up some housemates, and let the searching begin. It is best to start early, be proactive, and evaluate all of your options before reaching any hasty conclusions.
Things to Think About
Whether you’re moving out of your family home for the first time or abandoning the freshman comforts of UB’s residence halls, there are many issues to consider before signing your first lease. From a legal standpoint, understand that signing a lease is more than just a signature. With the wave of a pen you are entering into a legally binding contract. Depending upon the specific stipulations of the lease, if you try to “break your lease” you may be required to pay for the months during which the apartment cannot be rented. The leases at UB’s apartments allow for subletting only under extreme circumstances. The University Village at Sweethome’s lease has a clause to allow for students to “re-let” their bedroom units if the student takes control of finding another resident to take over the responsibilities of the lease. The University Heights homes are typically less strict as to who is actually paying the monthly rent, as long as it gets paid, and this allows for a certain amount of legal flexibility in terms of roommates moving in and out. However, the persons whose names actually appear on the lease are the ones who will be held legally responsible for ensuring that the rent, from whatever source, is paid for.
Having a positive living situation can be the key to a fantastic college experience. If you’re not happy where you are, switch things up. Take a good look at what you can realistically afford to spend on a monthly basis for rent, and research the different types of homes that are available to you.
