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“The apartments are overpriced and poor quality,” said Andrew Lapin, a sophomore from Littleton, Mass.  “Requiring students to live in approved housing limits competition and increases the prices.” 

According to the 2000 census, at censtats.census.gov, 36.4 percent of renters in Rexburg pay $200 to $299 a month, and 28.8 percent of renters pay $300 to $499 a month in rent. 

“Rent during the fall and winter is a lot higher than during the summer,” said Michael George, a junior from Omaha, Neb. “It doesn’t seem fair that there is so much difference in price just because there are more people here during the fall and winter semesters.” 

According to www.byui.edu/housing, housing cost for most men’s housing is between $800 to $1,100 a semester during the fall and winter, which comes out to be $200 to $275 a month. 

Women’s housing is generally around $800 to $1250 a semester, which comes out to be $200 to $313 a month. 

During the summer rent is around $400 to $700 a semester for men and women’s housing.  

“Everything is driven by the market,” said Jessica Pace, the director of operations of Rexburg Housing. “Depending on supply and demand, housing prices either raise or lower.” 

Owners of approved housing in many cases also have to provide beds, vacuums, couches and other furnishings. Students are hard on apartments and extra staff is needed to maintain the apartments, Pace said. 

“We also have strict guidelines concerning manager to student ratios, as well
as RA’s to student ratios,” Pace said. “That means an even higher payroll.” 

Many apartments have six students living in them and at $200 a month per student each apartment is getting around $1,200 a month in rent. 

According to marketplace.nwsource.com/rentals/, an online classifieds Web site, a 1,420 square foot three-bedroom two-bathroom apartment in Seattle, Wash., can be rented for $1,295 a month. 

When looking at the individual rent payments of around $200 to $300 a month, the numbers seem to be close to the census numbers until they are compared to the rent prices of married housing, which does not have to be approved by the school. 

The BYU-I housing list for married students are around $500 a month for a two-bedroom apartment and just over $600 for a three-bedroom apartment. 

Most two-bedroom apartments in approved housing have at least four students in them. At $200 a month per student the cost would be $800 a month, much higher than the average cost. 

With six people in a three-bedroom apartment the cost would be $1,200 a month.  If the same number of students lived in the married housing given in the previous example, rental costs per student would be $100 to $125.