February 2006

More choices, key decisions in housing search

Prospective tenant Jasmine Beil, center, shares a light-hearted moment with, from left to right, her mother Carol Beil and fellow UC Davis student Jasmine Beil as Sherry Jackman shows a Tandem apartment. (Karin Higgins/UC Davis)

For students moving from the residence halls to off-campus housing, the myriad decisions can be mind boggling -- where to live, who to live with, who handles what bill. The good news for all students is that there are more choices.

Bob Smiggen, director of Student Housing, says the housing search is much easier now after years of a tough market for tenants. According to an annual survey conducted by the campus unit, the apartment vacancy rate in Davis stood at 4.2 percent last fall -- a 10-year high and just shy of the 5 percent rate that economists and urban planners consider the ideal balance between the interests of landlord and tenant. Also, the average 1.8 percent increase in rental rates was much less than in previous years.

'Dramatic changes'

The rental market in Davis has changed dramatically in the past three years, Smiggen says, as the result of several factors. The campus has fewer first-year students. More apartments have been built in the Davis area. More students are commuting from other communities. And others, helped by lower mortgage interest rates, have bought homes and freed rental units for students.

Last fall, the campus itself opened new residence halls for 400 students in the Tercero area. And this fall, even continuing students have the opportunity to add themselves to a waitlist for residence halls -- at one time only able to accommodate first-year students. Interested students should go to the housing channel on the MyUCDavis Web portal.

Sherry Jackman (far right) gives a tour of the Adobe at Evergreen apartment complex to, from right to left, Carol Beil, her daughter and UC Davis student Jasmine Beil, and UC Davis freshman Jennifer Begier. (Karin Higgins/UC Davis)

Approximately 20,000 students will be looking for off-campus housing for the next academic year, many of them first-year students making the transition from residence halls, although a small number of continuing students remain on campus.

Kara McCue, marketing coordinator for Davis-based Tandem Properties, says that in reaction to the current vacancy rates, apartment complexes have heeded the need to be more responsive to the desires of students. To highlight what Tandem offers students, the company hosted a large promotional event featuring nine of its 14 sites in Davis and Woodland.

McCue says two words sum up the secret to keeping Tandem's returning and new renters happy: customer service. She says it is important for students to consider several issues when looking for an apartment or house: Do maintenance problems get addressed in a timely manner? Is the property well kept and safe? Is management willing to spend time with the tenant?

Off-campus living 'more complex'

"Once students are off campus, living situations become more complex," Smiggen says. "Students need to be ready to cope with those changes and work through them in a constructive manner."

Smiggen says that parents can offer their students a lot of support -- they have past experiences with leases and roommates to share.

Key concerns include the type of apartment complex a student chooses. Some have a reputation as having a party atmosphere and are not conducive to much studying, Smiggen says.

Students should also talk with potential roommates to gauge their level of commitment to a year's lease. Know the responsibilities of signing a lease and discuss handling utility bills and deposits, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning -- all factors that can affect relationships with other roommates. The location of a rental and its proximity to a bus line or the distance to campus is another important factor to consider.

If managing the groceries and cooking is an issue, Smiggen says, even students living in off-campus rentals can take advantage of meal plans offered at any of the dining commons on campus.

And since some students go home for the summer or take jobs elsewhere, he adds, it is important to make sure that future roommates understand they are still obligated to pay their portion of the lease during those months.

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