‘What Renters Want’ with Jessica Fiur: 6 Things Both Parents and Students Want in Student Housing

When it comes to student housing, it sometimes seems like students and parents want completely different things. After all, parents—who are usually the ones paying—want value for their money. They want their kids to be able to study. They don’t want their kids just going to toga parties and starting food fights and pretending to be zits. And while most students want to do well in college, they also want to be near their friends, and the bars and the parties. But, despite what their parents think, they don’t want to imitate the zany Animal House antics. In fact, most of them have never even seen that movie—though, oddly, they are all seemingly required to have that poster up in their rooms of John Belushi in a “college” sweatshirt drinking a bottle of Jack.

But I digress.

Anyway, how do you market your student housing so that both the parents and the students are happy? You might be surprised, but students and parents are actually looking for a lot of the same things when it comes to off-campus student housing.

Mmmm, college.

Student housing located close to the college. Parents want their kids to be able to get to and from class easily. They also want their kids to be safe leaving their apartments, and the area around the school is presumably a lot safer than if the student had to take three buses, a subway and a monorail to get to class. Students also want to be located near the college. In addition to making it easier to get back and forth, it also allows them to sleep to the very last minute and still make it to their 10:00 a.m. class. Seriously, who holds class before noon on a Friday? Not cool!

Near a supermarket and restaurants. That way parents can be sure that their kids are able to eat, and can find some healthier options other than ramen. And students will be able to buy their ramen, and have easy access to a beer supply.

Safe and secure buildings. Obviously, parents want their kids to be safe. Students want to be safe too, especially since they’ll sometimes be coming home pretty late. Students usually tend to have a lot of expensive things as well, such as computers, iPads, jewelry, etc., which could leave them as easy targets for thieves.

WiFi-accessible. So the students will be able to do their work and be able to do research for their papers. And so they can play “Diablo 3” (By the way, I needed to ask a coworker for a video game for that example. My original entry was “Duck Hunt”).

Close to other students. It’s appealing to have “student housing” as opposed to apartments that have some students. That way, the students will be able to socialize and make friends. Plus other students are a lot more tolerant of parties going on at 4 a.m. and hallways smelling of stale beer than families or people who have to get to work early.

Ability to pay rent online. This makes it easier for the students to pay without having to remember to write a check every month (if they even know how to write a check. Feel old yet?). It also makes it easy for the parents to pay the rent for their kids if the students are running low on funds that month. (Ping pong balls, red Solo cups and Natty Light aren’t free, you know.)

What else should be included in student housing that both the parents and the students are looking for?

 -Jessica Fiur, News Editor

Photo credit: Nayashkova Olga