College Pads recently surveyed thousands of college students to find out what they they like and what they don’t like when it comes to leasing their next off-campus pad.
The three things that mattered the most to them when searching?
- Price
- Location
- Number of bedrooms
Students want to live affordably, near campus and with the people they want to live with (or by themselves). Those are the basics that matter the most.
The survey results also showed the issues that students renters most commonly face with choosing their student off-campus housing:
- Poor quality appliances
- Bad Wi-Fi
- Dirty when moving in
- Repairs are not timely
- Inflexible leases
The commenters who have mentioned Wi-Fi before are spot on. Students expect to be able to connect to the internet all the time and at speeds that don’t make them feel like they are waiting. If they’re out in the trenches playing Call of Duty, they certainly don’t want to get deported back to the real world a second before they get in a headshot that gives their team a win. If a student is at home trying to watch a few videos on Facebook after a tough day of exams, they absolutely don’t want to watch a circle spin and spin while the video tries its hardest to load.
And a bad microwave? Have you ever tried using a microwave that cooked your hot dog for two minutes and barely got it lukewarm? Woof. Students want the things that have been standard to them their whole life to be in place at their college apartment. They know they’ll sacrifice some space and have to pay for things on their own, but they expect quality, comfort and proximity to their campus.
Comment below and let us know what you love and what you’d leave when it comes to renting your off-campus pad!
Callie Kollenbroich
Callie Kollenbroich has been the Operations Coordinator and Content Writer/Editor at Rent College Pads since 2015. When she's not working, you can find her at home, eating peanut butter out of the jar and bingeing an unhealthy amount of Forensic Files. She's not as lame as she sounds.