At Ohio University it can be a struggle to find decent off-campus housing for a reasonable price. The off-campus rental agencies know that students have to rent apartments, they are then able to raise the prices unreasonably because they know students will be forced to pay. Along with this many of the houses and apartments are run down and have not been taken proper care of which makes the high prices even more unreasonable. Many of the apartment complexes that offer a lower price have hidden fees for parking, amenities and utilities. The students are forced to pay ridiculous prices for a house that has been run down and not taken care of for years by the previous renters.
Most of the apartments are usually rented out by students who do not take proper care of them, along with the agencies that do not fix problems that arise. Most of the houses are overpriced for the quality of living and the lack of amenities. While searching for hours on rental websites, there were also a lot of questionable apartments that were found. Some apartments had walls that were painted only red while others had walls that were only constructed with plywood. While paint color is a minor detail, the structure of some of the houses does not match with the high price point.
This year as I was searching for an apartment with my friend, we found many of the apartment complexes off-campus that advertise for lower prices have hidden fees. Most of the fees came with parking that is not included, only certain utilities included, and most did not provide furniture. Luckily we were able to find an apartment that had utilities, parking, amenities and furniture all included within the cost. After we found an apartment while we were signing the lease, in the high-stress of the moment, I accidentally signed the lease for the wrong academic year. Fortunately, they were able to help me and canceled the lease I messed up. When you are signing for an apartment, make sure to evaluate all of the options, look for the hidden fees, and to find the location with the right amenities that work best for you.