Finding quality housing off-campus often challenging.
Problems with Commuter Affairs off-campus database raises concerns from students. PHOTO CREDIT: Greg Clark
With new restraints put on the number of on-campus housing spaces, finding off-campus housing has become a pressing concern for many students.
For those students looking off-campus, it could be overwhelming to find and secure a house. The University of Rhode Island offers an off-campus housing database on the Commuter Affairs website that students can use to find properties. Landlords can post photos and information about their property so that students can connect with them.
“One of the main goals of this site is to connect students to landlords in the community,” Joe Berardi, assistant director of community standards, said. Many of the homes on the database are also vacation rentals that students can rent during the summer.
The database is not perfect, however, and recent problems have raised some questions about the quality of the houses, with some students reporting that their houses are not up to safety and health codes.
Off-Campus Student Senator Grace Kiernan pointed out that these types of problems can often get blamed on students who are living at the house and not the landlord.
“The houses could not be up to par, and the students could be blamed for issues that were there before they were,” she said.
Kiernan said that students should look into legal options if they face a situation like this.
Berardi similarly said that while many students can work it out with the landlords, many may be on a private lease and may not be able to work it out via conversation.
“The worst-case scenario is that they may have to look into whatever legal options they have to rectify the issue,” Berardi said.
Kiernan, who also heads the Student Senate’s External Affairs Committee, recommends that students use resources such as Ann O’Brien Realty for housing options.
These problems come as housing continues to grow as an issue at URI. The Town of Narragansett, where many students live during the school year, recently passed an ordinance that limits the number of students living on any property. The University also recently announced freshmen will no longer live in “forced triples,” — two-person dorms that three students would share.
“I have a problem with the ordinance,” said Kiernan. “URI has had students living there since the 70s, and URI does not have enough housing for all the students.”
She said the ordinance was passed because many people look at Narragansett as a place to start a family and see students as loud and inconvenient neighbors.
Berardi did point out that recent events, such as a beach clean-up done by students living in the area, have led to a better relationship between university students and members of the local community.
Both Berardi and Kiernan said that students who need assistance with any housing issues should contact Commuter Affairs and the Student Senate.
“We have students’ best interest in heart,” Kiernan said, “Any issues they have, we will be here to represent them.”
Berardi stressed that the rental properties on the URI database are not affiliated with the University, and that landlords pay the University a fee to post their homes on the database. Though, he did note that any problems within the commuters office’s jurisdiction, such as the advertisement of their homes, will be handled.
“We have a living off-campus certificate that is on Brightspace,” Berardi said “It is a way to give students some early exposure to what it takes to live off campus.”
Commuter Affairs and the Division of Student Affairs also has a guide to living in South County as a first-time renter. The guide covers everything from budgeting tips to how to be a good neighbor, to town laws and ordinances to how to responsibly throw a party.