Another approach is mixing classes so half the group stays over to the next year and the lease continuity bridges these end of year gaps. It works for teams or other groups with some identity that helps carry it from year to year.
Also, a friend of mine has a son at a large directional and the apartments near school are not only furnished but you can rent a quarter of a suite and they’ll put others in with you so you don’t even need roommates any more. It’s so different from my day (which is good, as I think the world has progressed past the point where a kitchen couch is a great idea. That thing got gross.)
D1 was very much into good deals. When she came back from study abroad she sublet for a semester. She was able to get it for a lot less than if she had it for a whole year. I was later told the rent I was paying was going directly to the girl who rented the apartment and not to her parents. D1 said the girl probably never told her parent it was rented out while she was away.
There may be “bare” apartments in Ithaca, but if it’s located near Cornell, it comes furnished with beds, desks, a table and chairs and some living room stuff. They are private landlords and the furniture is decent – not great but generally not falling apart. My two boys went to Cornell for a total of 7 student years and 1 dorm year each and a total of 5 off-campus years in 5 different apartments/houses with 5 different landlords.
I stand corrected on Ithaca off campus apartments.
Any other colleges areas where most of the off campus housing is furnished?
My kids went to Boston University and Santa Clara and rented houses that were right next to the colleges. None of theirs were furnished by their landlords. Their areas were really only student housing.
What other smalle college towns have a lot of furnished apartments? This could be good info to have for future applicants.
When I went to school in Boulder, many of the off campus apartments were furnished. I’m not sure now.
I think a lot of schools have newer units that are privately owned but get tenants through the colleges. They may be 4 bedroom apts, but each lease is just for 1 bedroom and the landlord is willing to rent to 4 friends, but if one moves out that room will be re-rented to another student. A friend had one where she was the only renter, and then the landlord put a non-student in. Bad. These come furnished.
My daughter’s school just added some of these. The school has a large international population and those students want the convenience of living on campus or having furnished apartments nearby. The school has a lot of different options for dorms past freshman year and they are always full.
My sophomore D is in a non-furnished one bedroom apartment, thousands of miles from home, with no car. She furnished it via Amazon Prime. There is some seriously cheap furniture available, with free 2-day shipping. $150 couch, $100 mattress on a $20 bed frame, etc.
She has a 12-month lease, and plans to renew it for a second and maybe third year. The bad part is that she’ll still be paying rent in the summers, when she isn’t there. The good part is that the rent is cheap, and she won’t have the hassle of moving things to/from storage.
When she graduates, if she buys a car for her new life, she might rent a very small uhaul trailer for some of her furniture. But none of her stuff is exactly heirloom quality, so she’ll probably sell most or all it for a very small amount.