According the U.S. News best college lists, IU has a gigantic undergraduate class of a little over 33,000 people. Of those, 64 percent are living off-campus in non-IU affiliated housing, be it a house or an apartment.
Yet many students are left wondering how exactly to go about renting an apartment.
Beyond initially leaving for college, one of the most quintessential “Oh my god I’m an adult now” moments is moving into your own place for the first time. Not a dorm, but your own, actual apartment or house.
It’s incredibly exciting, but also incredibly convoluted — especially when it feels like there are no resources offered for figuring out your best options.
Many of us on the Editorial Board have had our own struggles in finding our housing, be it understanding how to go about searching for a place, signing a lease or setting up cable and utilities.
Since it’s highly unlikely that high schools will be offering courses in life skills such as these, we think it’s about time for IU to pick up the slack and be more helpful.
Even just a generation ago, it was not uncommon for students to reside in the dorms or campus apartments for the entirety of their undergraduate careers. But now, there are so many students that IU can’t even house the freshmen without resorting to using lounges for extra rooms, so the majority of people move off campus after their first year.
Since it is no longer feasible to offer all students on-campus living arrangements, IU should be offering free resources to help students learn about leases, renters’ insurance and available properties.
In a town with a college population this large, landlords are often increasing rent without increasing quality of their facilities.
It’s difficult to know which realtors and companies are credible, let alone know if the rent seems fair or if renter’s insurance is available.
Issues with landlords seem common, so much so that Reddit threads and a Facebook page exist specifically for people to voice complaints and warn others of bad renters in the area.
Anyone who has ever waited until the last minute to sign a lease — usually because they don’t know how leases work — knows that your first concern is having a roof to sleep under.
Anyone who has ever waited until the last minute to sign a lease — usually because they don’t know how leases work — knows that your first concern is having a roof to sleep under.
Landlords know this too and they are getting worse and worse at charging ridiculous rent rates because they know students will pay them.
Beyond that, rental companies often gouge students at the same time that they offer spaces in poor conditions.
Again, because they know that most students have never rented their own homes, they can get away with this.
IU should at the very least set up a housing advising team comprised of staff and upperclassman who have been through the renting process firsthand.
IU should also be able to recommend students to various realty companies.
There is an IU Real Estate department, but it is a resource only for those looking to live in the houses it rents out specifically.
But, the IDS Housing Fair that takes place in the fall, along with the IDS Housing Guide, is a great resource already in place, so hosting similar events or offering resources to keep in contact with the realtors there would be a beneficial start.
College is supposed to be the time in which we become the people that we will be for the rest of our lives, and a big part of moving up in the world is living on your own and being responsible for a space.
IU should be aiding that transition.
When you need to know how to set up water, what a guarantor is, or the difference between a 9 month and 12 month lease, sometimes Google doesn’t cut it — and IU should be picking up the slack, seeing as the main reason people live and rent here is to finish their schooling.
