Michelle Willett works in the Off-Campus Student Services Office as the marketing publications coordinator on August 22, 2011. The office is located in Room 313 of the UMC. (CU Independent photo illustration/Lee Pruitt)
The market for off-campus, student housing is still bustling, and whether you are still looking for a place to live for the fall semester or thinking about next year already, resources are waiting to help students in their hunt for apartments to live off campus.
One of these resources is the Off-Campus Student Services (OCSS), a function of CU Student Government, which has been available to CU students since 1977.
Michelle Willett, OCSS’s marketing and publications coordinator, said that students still looking for a fall lease should be aware that there are still housing opportunities available.
“I think that students feel a lot of pressure during the fall-preleasing season because they think that housing is going to run out, but that’s not true at all,” Willett said.
The OCSS website also offers a number of informative resources such as Ralphie’s List, a forum for local landlords to list properties solely for the use of CU students and affiliates.
“The message boards are only open for students so it’s a little safer than websites like Craigslist,” Willett said.
Willett also said that Ralphie’s List is particularly useful for students who want to post a sublet in case they may be studying abroad.
“Students can also place their own ads on there,” Willett said. “If they are open to subletting, they are welcome to do that for free.”
A crucial resource offered by OCSS is their attorney, who is present at their office during the school year to inform renters of their legal rights as tenants, addressing issues with landlords, as well as reviewing leases.
“It’s always a good thing to get a lease review before the lease signing,” Willett said. “That way, you have an understanding of what you’re agreeing to.”
Kayla Schick, a 20-year-old junior environmental studies and political science major, said that as a prospective renter, she felt the need to act fast on a lease signing.
“There is definitely a pressure to sign a lease before all the good places are taken,” Schick said.
Looking into off-campus housing during her freshman year, Schick said that having prior experience in the search was beneficial. If you’re in need of properties for you and a bunch of your friends or classmates, you may consider looking for 2 bedroom townhomes.
“My friends and I realized as we started looking over winter break that a lot of houses and apartments are already going pretty quick,” Schick said. “I was glad that this year we were able to act quickly, figure out what we wanted and get the lease signed.”
Clint Folsom, president of Folsom & Co. Real Estate, said that time can be crucial in the housing hunt depending on the location.
“If students want to live on the Hill, it may be very expensive or nonexistent,” Folsom said. “However, if they are willing to live farther away from campus there may be a greater number of choices.”
For properties in the most coveted residential areas for CU students, Folsom said the search must start early.
“If students want to live on the Hill, I get a lot of inquiries and lease a lot of properties, usually by the end of January,” Folsom said.
Although it may seem impossible to find a fall lease this late in the year, Willet said that there is still hope.
“Fifty-two percent of the housing market in Boulder is comprised of student rentals so students can always find housing,” Willett said.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Nora Keating at Nora.keating@colorado.edu.
