Is It Possible for a Non-Student to Live in Student Rentals?
In college towns, student rentals often have the best deals. Not only are they usually cheap, but they often come with a wide variety of amenities, and they may come with utilities included. If you're a non-student living in a college town, you may be wondering whether you can apply for a student rental. The answer is: maybe. While it can be a great deal, it can also be pretty frustrating.
Different Housing Companies Have Their Own Rules
For the most part, student rental houses will allow non-students to rent. After all, the money that you will pay is just as good as anyone else's. However, there are exceptions. Some rental condos are exclusive to students. While they're rare, there's nothing stopping them from doing this. It's worth it to ask a rental house whether they allow non-students before assuming that they don't.
You Probably Can't Use the Assigned Roommate Service
To cut down on cost, many student rental houses connect students through an assigned roommate service. A three bedroom apartment, for instance, would contain three students each renting one-third of the apartment.
It's likely that a non-student isn't going to be included in that assignment process, which can cause a problem if you were only interested in renting a single room. You may be required to rent a studio or a one-bedroom condo rather than trying to share space in an entire rental house.
You may also find your application taking a long time to process because of this—time you could be using to find a different property.
The Place Might "Shut Down" Off Season
For larger student communities, you should be aware that a lot of the local amenities will shut down when students are no longer in town. This is less important if you're renting a house in a neighborhood, but more important if you're renting an apartment in a building. In-building gyms, cafes, and other services may not be available for some portion of the year, and the building itself may seem like a ghost town. You aren't going to get kicked out, but it may feel like you have been because you won't be getting some of the amenities you're paying for.
Student housing can be a great way to save money while also taking part in a highly social atmosphere. However, you do need to keep in mind that many of the people around you will be students—with all the positives and negatives that conveys.
