By BERT MILLS
Wymount Terrace residents are upset with a hike in rental prices for the coming year, which BYU Housing Services said is due to an increase in expenses.
Residents say the increase is unfair because even though they expected it, they did not expect it to be as high as housing is charging.
BYU housing needs to cover its expenses and the only way to do it is to increase the rental price, said Lamon Oviatt, associate director of Housing Services.
“We were charged by the university to be self-supporting,” Oviatt said.
The Wymount one- and two-bedroom apartments will increase $15 a month and the three-bedroom apartment will increase $45. The residents are especially upset about the $45 increase because they feel it is unfair.
“If they are there to help, it doesn’t seem they consider the students’ needs,” said Carol Davis, a resident at Wymount.
“Larger families have more wear and tear on the facilities, so costs need to be adjusted for that,” Oviatt said.
“Housing should improve its communication. It needs to give us specifics on why the prices are going up. We need to have a better understanding of what is going on,” Davis said. “I was under the impression that the new price was to help build Wyview Park.”
Oviatt said the rate does not reflect construction at Wyview Park since it is separate from Wymount Terrace.
BYU Housing Services needs to cover its expenses because it does not receive any support from BYU, Oviatt said. “We are trying to keep the rent as low as possible.”
An off-campus survey conducted over a year ago indicated its past success with affordable rent prices.
“This survey showed that we are doing a good job keeping the prices low,” Oviatt said.
The decision to raise the price was hard for housing. “I wish we could live in a society where we didn’t have to do this,” Oviatt said. “We hope they feel they are getting their money’s worth.”
