Students shocked by new requirement
Realty company requires application fees for students looking to rent off-campus. PHOTO CREDIT: Melissa Marchese | Staff Photographer
As many students at the University of Rhode Island are looking for off-campus housing for the next academic year, some rental companies have started requiring application fees.
Abbott Properties LLC, a real estate company that many students go through to find academic housing in Narragansett, has begun requiring an application fee from students.
One URI student who wishes to remain anonymous said that after touring a house listed by Abbott Properties, they and their roommate were asked to pay $100 to be considered for an academic lease.
“The realtor said that in order to apply, there was a $100 application fee per person, which is something I haven’t run into before,” they said. “Once I heard that, it completely threw me off, and I kind of lost interest completely.”
The student said that two years ago when they were searching for housing with Abbott Properties, the company did not ask students to pay for housing applications. They believe these fees are a new procedure for the company.
According to the student, their friends who have used other realty companies to find a rental have not encountered application fees.
Karen Catuogno, the owner and a broker of Abbott Properties, said that the fee is necessary to reflect the work of those who process these student applications.
“There have been a number of occasions where URI’s students will apply for a particular property, the agent will go through the entire application procedure, which includes pulling credit reports, and then the students walk away from the housing,” she said. “That’s essentially why we charge an application fee, to gauge the seriousness of the interest.”
She said that students who apply for housing and choose not to move forward with Abbott Properties will not be refunded the $100 application fee.
Kim Churas is a managing partner with Sunrise Properties, another local realty agency with a number of academic housing properties in Southern Rhode Island.
According to Churas, Sunrise Properties has never asked students to pay a fee when they are applying for housing. She said that payment is only due when a lease has been signed by all parties and a security deposit is due.
“We have never had an application fee,” she said. “I’ve been doing this for years and I never want to do that.”
Narragansett Properties, another academic rental company, does not charge students a fee according to their online application portal.
Catuogno had no further comments on why Abbott Properties charges a $100 application fee for students applying for a property.
“It’s our practice and procedure, that’s the only thing I can say,” she said. “Certainly, any student can choose to not file an application. That is certainly their choice.”
Tanner Neal, a senior at URI, has lived off-campus for two years. He said that he has not been asked to pay an application fee during his time at the University. Neal said that charging students an application fee is unfair.
“I [have] never experienced anything like that,” he said. “Students pay enough with school and rent, so it doesn’t make sense to me why an application fee is necessary.”
To find additional resources and information about living off-campus, students can use URI’s off-campus housing database.