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| NICOLE TAYLOR / Scroll Photo |
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As engaged and married couples search for the perfect place to live, discouragement often occurs as options for approved family housing moves farther away from the BYU-Idaho campus.
However, several single-student complexes have been granted the opportunity to house married couples, providing competitive rent prices and the benefits of living within closer walking distance to campus.
La Jolla, a BYU-I women’s complex, is one complex that opened up a few apartments to couples last semester.
“We decided to do it just because we didn’t fill those apartments up with tenets, so we decided we might as well make up the difference,” said Kirsten Ellsworth, La Jolla apartment manager. “It obviously doesn’t bring in the same amount of money that we would have made with single students, but they have been wonderful and we haven’t had any problems with them … we charge on a monthly basis, it’s average price for married housing.”
Leslie King, manager of Rockland Apartments, a BYU-I men’s housing complex, said there are nine married couples currently living at their complex.
“We lose a little bit of money than what we would if we had an apartment full of guys,” King said. “We charge [married couples] a rate of $350 for summer and $450 during fall and winter. That is all utilities included and it’s furnished.”
Single student complexes must first be approved by the BYU-I Housing Office each semester before allowing couples to sign contracts. This gives single students first priority, while still allowing various complexes the chance to continue making a profit from apartments that would otherwise be vacant.
“When you’re approved to rent to [single] students, you have to rent to single students only,” said Sharon Tuckett, BYU-I housing director. “You can’t rent to community people or anyone else. At times there are some vacancies, then we grant [complexes] the opportunity to rent to a student couple, but they have to have a meaningful separation. This means no adjacent apartments that are occupied by single students.”
When asked why living in a single student complex would be a potentially good option for married couples, Ellsworth said living closer to campus is probably what would be most enjoyable.
“Really, that’s the only big benefit. They’re around loud, noisy students to be honest, so I wouldn’t say that it’s more beneficial,” Ellsworth said. “But then again, at married student complexes, you may have babies crying and things, so it goes both ways. At single student complexes like us, you won’t normally get couples with kids.”
