Off-Campus Living Situations Require Thought and Research

If you’re living on campus, there might come a day when your desire to use a kitchen and have your own place is greater than your desire to stay in the dorms. Maybe you are moving somewhere because of your work, or maybe you are moving out on your own for no other reason than that you’re an independent adult.

Regardless of whether you’re renting a room or an apartment, you will have to consider three things.

Safety: Definitely make sure it’s a family or person you trust and know. Otherwise you could be living with a murderer and not find out until you wake up with them standing over you, holding a knife.

Cost: Renting a room in a home can range anywhere from $300 to about $500 per month, depending on the home and space.

Space: Sometimes you will have your own room and bathroom, other times you may share. Some homes offer kitchen or pool privileges. For example, with the room I’m renting after graduation, I will have my own bathroom, fridge, and room.

Even if you are more eager to rent an apartment with friends, especially due to the spatial advantage, you still need to examine safety issues and realize that the cost factor could either work well for you, if you have the right number of roommates or be a financial burden.

Safety: Depending on the cost or location of the place you rent, you’ll have varying degrees of safety. Does the place have a lot of thefts? Are the locks on the doors flimsy? Is there adequate parking space for the amount of people you have? You don’t want to end up having your car towed. And be sure to evaluate who you’ll live with and work out roommate issues just as you would with roommates on campus.

Cost: Since the more roommates you have, the less your individual cost will be, it’s important to consider how many people you will be comfortable living with and how much you’re willing to pay. If it is difficult for you to find roommates, you will probably be better off renting a room than an apartment since it will be cheaper. Determine the reliability of your roommates. If one of your roommates is late or unable to pay his or her part of the rent for that month, have a plan so you won’t be paralyzed by panic.

Space: In this situation, you’ll have more aesthetic control. You can arrange and rearrange the living space and figure out with your roommates how you want the home to look.

To make this decision, figure out to what degree these things are important to you. If it’s more important for you to have plenty of space, then you might consider a more expensive living situation worth the trouble.

If cost is your main concern, you need to be careful about safety because an extra low monthly rent might sound nice until you move in and regret it. Pray about your options and examine places thoroughly. Know the people you’ll live with and avoid being impulsive.

It may take some time to fully commit to a living situation, but once you’ve settled on a place you’ll be able to focus on finding people to help you move.