The University has projected that 20,000 students are expected to attend the University this fall, and the high demand for housing and the lack of housing standards in Eugene means local landlords have more freedom to raise rates and cut costs.
Students wanting the best places to live next year should start their search now, Duck’s Village Operations Manager Jean Robbins said.
With the increased demand, complexes like Duck’s Village are considering about a 3 percent rate increase. Robbins believes students will pay the $5 to $10 monthly rent increase, and cites Duck’s Village’s 99.5 percent occupancy rate as proof of satisfied renters.
Student leaders who have been working with the city to adopt a housing code are worried the extra demand will decrease property upkeep even further.
“It’s like a domino effect,” said Megan Hughes, who is leading ASUO’s fight for city housing standards in Eugene, the biggest city in Oregon without a housing code. “There are more students looking for more houses, so students are going to have to settle with what they can. If their basement floods and their landlord doesn’t do anything about it, they’re going to have to settle for that.”
University residence halls can house roughly 3,400 students, the greek system takes care of 1,000 to 1,500 more, and large apartment complexes such as University Commons Apartments and Duck’s Village has room for about 2,500 students. That leaves the remaining 63 percent of students to find an apartment or a house to rent off-campus — or live with mom and dad.
“We’re obviously going to end up with more people applying than we have space to provide,” Robbins said of her properties.
University residence halls are also expecting high numbers of students to fill the 3,400 available spots, director of University Housing Mike Eyster said. But Eyster added the University is seeking to house only 3,125 students in these rooms, because double occupancy rooms get crowded when there’s only 147 square feet to share between two students.
Eyster previously proposed building a new residence hall to add space and provide a roof for almost 400 students where the current outdoor tennis courts are located north of 15th Avenue, but the project is still in the planning stage.
If students want more space, they can opt for apartments like the ones offered by University Commons, which have individual rooms and 820 square feet in which to spread out.
Renting a house is another option, and students can even decide to put down roots and buy their own place. The city of Eugene offers interest-free deferred loans of up to $4,000 for first time home buyers, and is happy to consider students for the program, said city of Eugene property-rehabilitation specialist Mark Tritt.
Wherever students decide to live, they’ll have the best luck if they start early.
“The earlier you apply, the better chance you have of getting a room,” Robbins said. She added that students in Eugene haven’t experienced a tight housing market before.
“Some students literally pull up to our apartments the first week of school with a vanload of stuff. People aren’t used to finding a house or apartment in advance,” Robbins said.