The Evergreen Debate: House or apartment?

I spoke with four students, each with a different living situation, to find out how they thought their home compared to others, if living on their own outside of the dorms has been advantageous or problematic and their worst and best experiences with their landlords.

Name: Courtney Reese
Address: Palmer Place apartments
Landlord: Cornwell Rentals
Rent: $1,695 per quarter per person (did not have to pay for summer)
*Note: Rent is increasing next year and will include summer payments
Number of bedrooms: 3, 4 or 5 (apartments with 5 rooms have two stories)
Advantages: "Houses seem to be a lot older and dirtier. This is very new, obviously, and it is still very nice and very clean. It's also pretty close to campus."
Disadvantages: "They built it way too fast, and I felt like when we first moved in we were constantly calling and complaining about things that were breaking down or things that weren't put in right. We have random bubbles in the ceiling and nicks in our wall. Things were not done properly."
Worst experience with landlord: "Our fan would not work forever. It was connected downstairs, so whenever we would turn it on they would turn it off, and whenever we would turn it off they would turn it on. We had no control over our fans, and it took them until this quarter to fix it. Also, our water heater was never really turned on until this winter quarter. Our shower was always freezing, so we finally called because we just couldn't take it anymore."
Landlord's worst problem with you: "I think they hate us because they call so much. We specifically have never been yelled at for trash or problems like that, but one of the main guys sent out a pretty nasty e-mail either last quarter or this quarter. He threatened to turn on the security cameras, which I really don't mind--I think it's pretty good that we have them--and to make it like a gated community. We complained because it was never in our contract."
Better than the dorms?: "Definitely. I do miss the dining halls, though."
Knowing what you know now, would you have moved in here?: "No, definitely not."

Name: Steve Zeisler
Address: 27 Mound St.
Landlord: Carol Ault
Rent: $985 per quarter per person
Number of bedrooms: 7
Advantages: "In our house, we have a really big back yard and a front porch. Some apartments, you might have to share the room with somebody else, but in our house, everyone has their own room. Basically, the only reason we got this house is because it had a huge back yard. And it was cheap. Really cheap...It's a nice house, and I like it. It's our house for the next four quarters, and I'm going to live in here until I graduate. I love my room. It's bigger than my room at my house back home. We live in a secluded neighborhood, but we have some crazy neighbors."
Disadvantages: "We live in a slum. I live in a slum with six other guys, so you can imagine what it looks like. We keep it pretty clean, but it's hard to maintain a big house. We've had troubles with the insulation, so our gas bills are pretty high, just because the house doesn't retain heat or cold. It's cold in the winter and hot in the summer."
Worst experience with landlord: "Well, she came in the other day and did an inspection in our house and told us that we need to keep our house cleaner, and we actually have another inspection in August. She has been a really good landlord. I think that she looks at this house as being her pride and joy because we got our house signed up for a green energy program through the office of sustainability."
Landlord's worst problem with you: "Probably the cleanliness. She used to live here a long time ago with her kids, and I think it's probably hard for her to see her house in such a mess."
Better than the dorms?: "Definitely. In the dorms, you're in close quarters with your roommates, so if you have a problem or an issue, you better resolve it right then. Now we each have our individual rooms. You have more privacy, especially if you have a certain female companion you want to hang out with. Living in the dorms, you're more constricted with the whole alcohol situation because you have the whole R.A. situation. If you have a party in your room, that's unacceptable. You can have a loud party at your house as long as your neighbors are fine with it."
Knowing what you know now, would you have moved in here?: "Honestly, I probably would have moved into a house with girls because, at least with our neighbors across the street, there are four girls and their house is so clean. I don't do the best at keeping this house clean, and I think living with girls would definitely have helped rather than living with six guys. These are my best friends I'm living with here, and I figure you have to live in some sort of slum to appreciate that."

Name: Nikki Lawler
Address: 153 Mill St.
Landlord: Sabel Rentals
Rent: $1,450 per quarter per person
Number of bedrooms: 5
Advantages: "In a house, there is more space, more rooms if you want to get away from your roommates. In an apartment there is usually just one common area and the bedrooms, whereas our house has more rooms that you can go to."
Disadvantages: "You have a lot more responsibilities, like taking our trash. We are living in an apartment next year, and there you just have to put it in a trash can. We also don't get to meet as many people as you do in an apartment."
Worst experience with a landlord: "Our landlord showed up unannounced and went through our house during fall quarter when my roommates and I were sitting down talking about if we were going to live here or not next year because we had gotten a letter the week before saying that we had till a certain date to tell her if we were going to stay. When she was here, we told her that we were thinking about living here next year, and she told us that she had already sold it in the summer. We were surprised because we had talked to her multiple times and she had never brought it up."
Landlord's worst problem with you: "I'm not sure what her biggest problem is because she is not really around much, so she doesn't know about things. We have holes in our walls, so that is probably going to be the biggest problem, but she doesn't know about it now because we cover it up."
Better than the dorms?: "Yes, I am so glad to be out of the dorms. There is no one to watch over me."
Knowing what you know now, would you have moved in here?: "I would, but I would want things fixed if I lived here again because I would want it to be in shape."

Name: Chelsea Campbell
Address: 18 N. Lancaster St. (apartments)
Landlord: John Andrews
Rent: $1,525 per quarter per person
Number of bedrooms: 4
Advantages: "Our utilities are way cheaper, so I think we end up paying a lot less than [people in houses] over the year. I also like that you tend to become closer to people because you live in the same building as them. I also like that it is all one level."
Disadvantages: "We don't have a porch. That is the biggest deal ever. Also, you can hear other people walking around in the apartment."
Worst experience with landlord: "None. He comes by every time we need anything. He is literally amazing. He has come and changed light bulbs for us. He just came and fixed our cable. My roommate called yesterday, and he was here today."
Landlord's worst problem with you: "None that I know of."
Better than the dorms?: "Hell yes. I do miss the dining hall. Everyone thought that you were going to be so happy without it, but yeah, right."
Knowing what you know now, would you have moved in here?: "Yes, I would, for sure."