The College Housing Squeeze: Rents, Rules, Deadlines

BY LINDSAY MASON FOR SMARTBRIEF

As college students close out the semester, they already have a big decision to make – whether to renew their apartment lease for fall. Landlords have been nudging them to sign since the beginning of the year.

If they sign quickly, that’s an indication that rents are too low; too slowly, and landlords worry they might have a vacancy to fill.

Lindsay Mason, Ph.D., director of off-campus life at Colorado State University, says students are too often caught between affordability and availability, creating an often unrecognized vulnerability. But affordable housing is critical to student success and retention.

The Bipartisan Policy Center reports that about 48% of college students experience housing insecurity, with 14% facing homelessness. The most vulnerable groups are students who are parenting, Black, Native American or LGBTQ.

The Market Squeeze

Rising home values have pushed rents steadily higher, Mason says. Most college students are renting for the first time, entering a market where a single bedroom can cost around $1,000 a month. That’s jarring for students and their families alike.

Mason says she sometimes reframes the issue by asking homeowners whether they could afford to buy their own homes at today’s prices and interest rates. Many admit they could not. Students, she says, are being asked to do exactly that, without savings or financial cushions.

For those without family support, the barriers multiply. Most landlords require tenants to earn two or three times the monthly rent and to have established credit. Traditional-age students, who might only be working part-time, rarely meet either requirement, Mason says.

As a result, guarantors, usually parents or guardians, become essential. But not all students have them. International students, students who have aged out of foster care, or those who have experienced homelessness often face the rental market alone.

“None of the guarantor alternatives are cheap,” Mason says.

Contrary to common assumptions, high rents are not always driven by a lack of supply. Mason tracks vacancy rates through statewide reports and notes that while some years have seen low availability, more recent data suggests a softening market. In some cases, average rents have dipped, and student-focused apartment complexes have struggled to fill units. Changes in student demographics, particularly a decline in international enrollment, and shifting local regulations that allow more unrelated people to live together have altered demand patterns. The result is a market in flux, one that can be confusing for students trying to time their decisions.

Targeting the Unsuspecting

Confusion creates opportunities for scammers. Housing fraud has become a growing threat on college campuses, though it is difficult to quantify precisely how often it occurs.

“When people are vulnerable, that’s where the opportunity for scams comes in,” she says.

Students are particularly susceptible because many have never rented before. An unusually low price or a landlord who says they will work with people who have criminal backgrounds or low credit scores are all red flags that Mason teaches students to recognize. But for someone unfamiliar with local rents, or for an international student used to a different housing process, those warnings are not always obvious.

To counter that risk, Mason helps oversee RentalSearch through an off-campus housing platform, College Pads, managed by StarRez, where every listing is reviewed before going live. The goal is not just convenience but protection, a buffer between students and a market that can be unforgiving.

Mason also educates students about what it means to live in a city where noise violations can carry hefty fines and where being a “good neighbor” matters. What may look like a lecture on avoiding tickets, she says, is really an effort to help students integrate into their communities by shoveling sidewalks, managing gatherings and understanding shared responsibility. It is, in her words, “neighboring education in disguise.”

Her office also offers free late-night ride programs, food delivery for students who can’t reach pantries, emergency rent assistance and transportation credits for those with broken cars. These services may seem far removed from housing, but Mason argues they are inseparable. Stable housing underpins academic success; without it, everything else becomes harder.

Valuable Partnerships

Part of Mason’s approach that often surprises peers at other institutions is her close collaboration with landlords. Rather than treating them as adversaries, she views them as partners in student success. A well-educated landlord who offers a positive living experience gives students the freedom to focus on academics rather than constant housing stress, Mason says. That alignment is not always obvious, but Mason has found that candid conversations reveal shared goals – even when motivations differ.

One example is the pressure students feel to sign leases months in advance. While Mason wishes students did not feel rushed, landlords have explained that timing signals price accuracy: units that fill too early may be underpriced, while those that linger may be too expensive. The “healthy” window, some landlords have told her, is late winter to early spring—a period that also gives students time to consult family and make informed choices.

Different reasons, but it leads to the same outcome. Both students and landlords benefit from leases signed in advance, which creates more stable housing for students.

“It is very difficult for us to be successful in most other parts of our lives if our housing isn’t stable,” Mason says. “So for us, helping students with off-campus housing, basic needs, and safety is retention work for the university. It’s not extra. It’s not a bonus. We are vital.”