College is an important time. College poses opportunities to develop academically, socially, professionally, and mentally. There will be plenty of stresses and worries. The last thing you want to be worried about as a student is your apartment.
An apartment should be a home; a place where you can escape the world. It should be a place of safety and comfort. Many student living apartments provide an experience that is wonderful, others not so much.
What makes the difference. I would say it is what the apartment owners do to make it feel like home, and to show you that you matter. There are many ways this could be done, but here are a couple of my thoughts from my experience.
Updates/Improvements
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No apartment is perfect. Everyone should understand that. Most students are also okay with the fact that their apartments are not going to be the nicest or fanciest out there. That doesn’t stop students from wanting a nice, clean place to live.
A good tenant will look for ways to update or improve their apartments, whether it is replacing furniture, renovating the apartment, getting wifi for apartment, or simply adding homey elements like lamps and coffee tables.
This shows that the apartment owners care about your experience. Apartments that are willing to do this for their tenants usually can be trusted to go the extra mile and treat you right
Maintenance
Does your apartment take 700 business days to respond to the request to fix your sink? The fulfillment of maintenance requests is seemingly one of the biggest complaints I have ever seen from apartment tenants.
It makes sense. No one asked for a brand-new, five-star place to live in. We pay rent to stay in an apartment, and if something breaks it should get promptly fixed.
When I was living in student apartments I never waited longer than a few days to have something fixed or replaced. It made me feel cared for, and I knew that the management was going to do their best to take care of their tenants. It felt very much like home.
Tenant Appreciation
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Some apartments will do little things to show that they appreciate you living there. Sometimes they through parties, do raffles, or host a movie night.
Not many apartments do things like that. Nor would you go into an apartment expecting them to. The fact is you pay rent and they provide a place for you to live. That is all that is required, but for an apartment complex to go above and beyond like that really makes them more appealing to students.
Free Stuff
The average college student had no money. Everyone is poor and just trying to get by. One of the best things an apartment can do is offer things to you for free. The word free will get a student’s attention faster that just about anything.
Laundry is a perfect example. First of all, the thought of paying for the privilege of wearing clean clothes is a little ridiculous. I understand that utilities are being used but still, come on. The best apartments offer free services like laundry, or if you have the best of apartments, parking. Some places “calculate it into the cost” of rent, and some don’t charge at all. A huge thing to consider when looking for housing.
Amenities
In the apartment amenity arms race, service and technology win out
Amenities are king. Grills, pools, lounges, weight rooms, study rooms, and theater rooms are all examples of great amenities.
Amenities are just nice. They show that the apartment was willing to spare no expense in making the living experience a great one. They are also convenient because you don’t have to leave the apartment to workout, soak in the hot tub, or host a party or game night.
I was recently impressed to see something I consider to put apartments in the top tier. Not only do they provide amenities, but also put in effort to ensure they are up to par.
American Avenue Apartments in Rexburg, Idaho did some updates to their lounge areas, improving the student experience. Think about it, they provided a common area that they weren’t required to, and not only maintained it, but updated it to make for an even better living experience. Hats off to them.
Conclusion
Apartments are a big deal. They will be the pace you call home through the formative and challenging years of school, and likely for a while after. Find a good one, an apartment that cares about you and your experience. Just because you are a student, doesn’t mean you have to settle.
