Off Campus Housing - What questions should we ask?

Marian
Thu, 14 Jul 2011 11:22:55 +0000

The individual leases OP mentioned should mean that if one roommate leaves, the others have contracted only for their portion of the rent and related expenses.



Yes, but they also may mean that if someone leaves, the other individuals in the apartment have no say in who replaces the person who left, not even to specify the gender of the new tenant. The gender issue is not likely to be a major problem in this instance, since the OP’s kid is male, but if the student had been female, knowing that she might be forced to live with a male stranger could be a major disadvantage.

In my experience, college students of both genders rarely object to living in mixed-gender groups provided that everyone already knows each other. (In fact, girls sometimes prefer having at least one male apartment mate – they’re handy for moving heavy objects and escorting people home late at night). And guys usually don’t mind being placed with unfamiliar female roommates. But many young women vehemently object to having to share an apartment with one or more male strangers.