River Village, one of the many on-campus apartment options offered by the university, is looking to start offering twelve units that will allow residents to pay rent individually with a ‘rent-by-the-room’ policy instead of solely ‘rent by the unit.’
Rent-by-the-room housing allows for multiple people to occupy the same unit, but pay a rent separately from their roommates; whereas, rent-by-the-unit requires all residents to contribute to paying rent for the whole unit.
Located in between the War Memorial Stadium and Ivinson Memorial Hospital, River Village features two to three bedroom townhouse type apartments. Both are offered as either two-story housing or single-story and American Disabilities Act (ADA) modified housing.
Each apartment contains washer and dryer hookups, a refrigerator, an oven and access to the internet, as well as “HBO GO” and satellite TV.
Residents are provided with the option to have their apartment furnished or unfurnished, which will adjust the current price accordingly.
As it is now, a two-bedroom apartment will cost residents $952 a month unfurnished and $987 a month furnished with a $375 deposit. A three-bedroom apartment will cost $1,064 a month unfurnished and $1,104 a month furnished with $425 deposit.
Though the prices are not yet released to the public, the apartments that will be rent-by-the-room will continue to offer an option for units to be furnished or unfurnished and will still contain all of the many features they do now.
While this payment method will be new to River Village, they are far from the first apartment complex to offer it. Bison Run Apartments, The Quarters, The Verge and The Point all have a rent-by-the-room policy.
“I like being able to rent by the room, because it’s easier,” Quarters resident, Raleigh Coones, said. “We don’t have to divide the payment up ourselves and because our rent includes utilities, it’s all paid to one entity.”
Those looking to rent a room from the River Run Apartments can expect their utilities to be included in the rent payment as well. Rent-by-the-room will also allows for more individual responsibility, which for some, is beneficial.
“Over Christmas Break, one of my roommates forgot to pay rent and was almost evicted,” Kayla White, a resident at The Point, said. “The beauty of it was that it didn’t affect me at all. If we had rented by the unit, we all would have been screwed.”
Addie Perryman, a university student who lives in a house off campus with three other people, said, “I can understand why places like the Verge would do [rent by the room], but I think it makes more sense in houses for us to share the rent like we share the space,” Perryman said. “My roommates are really good about paying in full and on time though, so the only stressful thing is having one person in charge of all the money.”
In light of all the challenges that can face university students, it may seem more appealing to not have to rely on others for things as important as rent payments.
“It’s nice to have a place you can go home to without having to worry about other potentially financially irresponsible people threatening that home,” Verge resident Derrik Conard said.
For those interested in campus housing, more information can be found at http://www.uwyo.edu/reslife-dining/apartments/index.html
