Independence comes with a steep price tag for UNH students looking to rent an apartment close to campus and the real estate companies controlling the market are making it close to impossible for the average college kid to afford even the smallest square footage.
Within the town of Durham two companies, University Apartments and Varsity Place have bought up a mass amount of property all within a five mile range surrounding the University of New Hampshire’s campus. Although these properties offer the convenience of a short walk or bike ride and an even shorter drive, the square footage being offered is far from ideal and nowhere near worth the money being shelled out for it.
Each company offers one to four bedroom units with the typical contract including heat and at least one parking spot. The leases are usually for one year, August to August, and according to some current renters with each company the pricing is around $600-700/month/person/three bedroom and the pricing goes up from there the fewer the amount of people that live in the unit. In addition utilities such as electricity can add up over the course of that year lease, leaving many to sacrifice convenience for more affordable housing.
Ally Swin, a junior paying her own way through school, says it came down to her text books or rent payment when looking to sign a contract with one of the two major companies. “ I don’t think it’s fair that I had to make a choice, so I went to a private home owner instead where I pay $475/month with no more than a fifteen minute walk to school.”
Swin used the website durhamlandlordassociation.com/availablelistings.htm where there are private listings of great options for students on a budget, “Why pay more for less? Get smart and save”.
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