What a great idea – I’d be a potential end user as a provider of student housing. I do know that at Purdue there is a site called http://www.boilerapartments.com/ that enables landlords and students to connect. It’s probably a little slower here in South Bend / Notre Dame due to the smaller student population base, but I do think there is an entrepreneurial opportunity.

You’re right that the media used is mixed (Observer, Craigslist, Signage, and SB Tribune Classifieds). Students are confused and the process could be refined.

We’ve recently undergone a web overhaul of our site http://www.rentlikeachampion.com, and we generate traffic through a variety of means, but it would be helpful to a central location for students to go. I’d love to discuss this further if you’re ever interested!

Drew Mitchell
Double Domer Properties

Whoever bought this thing took a full apartment complex and turned it into a ghost town. If you know the history there, it was condo, then a lot of rental, then basically apartments, attempt at condo, now all rentals again. The only thing it missed was becoming Section 8, but then again I don’t know who they all rented to……….

It is a pity, they had the opportunity to make them more of a high end student apartments and make some money. But instead they decided to paint them the ugliest color yellow I have seen.

http://och.nd.edu is the website where landlords can list their places.

Honestly though I would send these students to an apartment complex like Hurwich Farms, Indian Lakes, or Williamsburg.

They may not be able to sign a 9-month lease. But the rents would be so much cheaper per month than the rents for a typical student rental that paying the early termination fee after 9 months would make it a wash financially.

And speaking as a small-time landlord, some of us don’t want college students — even mature grad students — for a few reasons:

1. The landlord knows that they will only be around for a short time — the best case scenario two or three years. Then it will be time to clean the house up and deal with the hassle of finding another renter.

2. It isn’t unusual for them to leave for nearly a month around Christmas and possibly all summer. What would happen to the yard of a single family home during that time?

3. You might get some smarty pants law school type who will try to find a way to void the lease agreement because of some technicality. I would never rent to a law student.

If we – as professionals with a real knowledge of the market – have a tough time finding rentals, how does the college student’s parents get any peace of mind?