Popular BYU contracted complexes have dipped in monthly rates over the past year. Complexes are now offering cheaper rent than last year’s prices.
Complexes have been denying a dip in prices, but students have taken note of rent changes around $25. “I paid $357 for a four-man apartment at Liberty Square,” said Zachary Gardner, a junior from Salt Lake City studying neuroscience. “I have a friend living there now who is only paying $316.”
Kelsey Rock, a junior from Brea, Calif., studying public health, said if prices had been cheaper last year, she wouldn’t have switched complexes. “I really liked living at the Village,” Rock said. “I was just a little disappointed when I realized that I didn’t have to move to save money.”
Due to a flood of BYU students leaving on missions, complexes have had trouble filling all available spots, which is a reason for the decrease in rent. “We’ve offered incentives to fill more spots,” the office at Liberty Square Apartments said. “We offer a free month’s rent for referring a friend.”
Complexes have had to make adjustments due to the decrease in female residents. “We had to switch one girl four-plex to boys because we had a higher demand for boy apartments,” the office at King Henry apartments said. “However, we are still completely full for fall.”
Female spots have been hard to fill. “We are full for guys but still have a few girls spots open, which is unusual for us,” the Liberty Square office said.
Had prices been as low last year, students would have chosen the more expensive complexes. “I didn’t hate my complex, but I felt like I was paying way too much,” Douglas Weaver, a junior from Salt Lake City, said. “For just a few more dollars I could have been living at a nice place like The Village or The Isles. This year I know I could have lived in a nicer place because of the price change.”
The university is expecting a flood of students to come back during the Fall 2014–Winter 2015 school year. “Demand will be higher, so we won’t need competitive prices,” the office at Riviera Apartments explained.
“I’m not too worried about prices going back up,” said Kelsey Blickenstaff, a junior studying therapeutic recreation from Pleasant Grove. “If I really want to live somewhere, a difference of $20 won’t change my mind.”
