Will you be a senior, married or over the age of 25 next year? Congratulations! You qualify to live off-campus!
Off-campus housing can be a great option for many, but it also has its downsides. Some renters may find they are expected to mow the grass while others find their landlord insists on doing it themselves. What does a prospective off-campus student need to consider? Here are some of the big points:
Where to look? Facebook groups can serve multiple purposes if you are looking for off-campus housing. Some landlords rent only or mostly to the Covenant Community, so the Covenant Facebook groups are a good place to look.
“Some neighborhood communities have more crime than others,” director of security Keith McClearn said. “One way to monitor this is via social media, for example, the Facebook page for the neighborhood you are interested in.”
Other resources are The Off-Campus Housing Listings Google Group, the Mailroom bulletin board, seniors and recent graduates. Jonathan Wylie and other members of faculty and staff are good resources as well.
Read your lease! This seems obvious but pitfalls can be avoided by carefully reading the lease. Especially when it comes to maintenance. What are you responsible for, and what is the landlord responsible for? Helen Shackleford talked about having an ant issue that she is responsible for
And her landlord—“contractually, he has no obligation to do so.”
She also recommends making sure you have the option to sublease if you are going to be gone over the summer and that the lease is no more than a year long.
“Find out if the cost per month includes utilities or doesn't include utilities,” Wylie said. “I think it is very valuable because it can change drastically what the overall monthly would be.”
Roommates can make or break any living situation. Make sure you have reliable roommates.
“I think just that the biggest thing is communicating early on, your expectations,” Lucy Sicks said about building a peaceful roommate relationship. “And just meeting as a group and just talking that through is huge.”
“… not everybody agrees on what home is to them …” Charity Chaney said about people’s preferences for their space. “... I think it's important to talk about what home is to you.”
When should you start looking? “As soon as you know you want to live off-campus,” recommends Shackleford. She started her search in November and signed a lease in February. Sicks was thinking about potential off-campus roommates sophomore year.
Off-campus housing options are occupied quickly on the mountain.
Mind your commute! Shackleford looked for housing no more than ten to 15 minutes away from campus. Sicks found her location appealing because it is close enough to walk. Having reliable transportation or being close enough to walk is important.
Commuting also includes walking from the Commuter Lot, which is across from the gym.
“When choosing to live off campus, parking should always be a consideration,” McClearn said, “Students living off-campus must purchase a Commuter parking permit. These permits are limited and are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis.”
Community: Loss and Gain. Sicks and Shackleford agree that off-campus students need to be more intentional to stay connected and it can be easy to become isolated.
“I definitely see my acquaintances way less,” Sicks said. “The people who I would just bump into as I walked through different lobbies, you are just in the Great Hall way less.”
“But it teaches you how to be intentional with the people that you're like, oh, I really want to seek out that particular person,” Sicks also says, “and that's something, even a skill that you have to learn the rest of life.”
Chaney also talked about her relationships being more intentional and how living off-campus has been a hard but good transition period for when she graduates from the Covenant community.
Off-campus housing can be a great option! It is normal to feel overwhelmed but hopefully, this information can make your search less daunting. Talk to students who have gone before to get advice, and don’t worry. You’ve got this!