Walk2Campus Properties raised rent prices mid-lease period by up to $40.
In 2023, The Ascent started at $635, but the next lease period increased to a minimum of $700. Now, mid-lease, prices increased to a minimum of $735.
Students living in off-campus housing feel stressed and irritated about the sudden increase, as they agreed to a different price when signing leases.
Whether a part-time or full-time student, a sudden increase in rent may cause massive problems for students and their families. As the rent goes up, students are left scrambling to figure out ways to meet the new price requirements.
Paige Hession, junior elementary education major, shared her thoughts on the rent increase.
“I’m very upset about it. I feel like it shouldn’t be raised for students who are going to school and have to pay tuition, especially because there’ve been major problems in my apartment, like the wi-fi and the plumbing system,” Hession said.
The Walk2Campus properties make numerous promises in leasing agreements which they have failed to keep. Residents of the properties have complaints about plumbing, mold, parking, insect infestations, pool management, weak security and broken gym equipment. All these problems, combined with management’s refusal to fix them while increasing rent, feels like an insult to students.
Victoria Bartolotto, junior English major, expressed her concerns about the rent increase while having many issues in her apartment at The Arch.
“There’s a lot of broken things. A lot of renovations that I think need to be done in comparison to The Arch. One of my really good friends actually just moved to The Arch because she got mold poisoning from living on the first floor. I think that they can do better in their cleaning services and with just the general upkeep of the properties,” Bartolotto said.
Raising rent for residents doesn’t just affect the students, but also their families. Many students do not pay their own rent and rely on their families for money. Increased rent can add extra pressure for parents who are struggling with their children’s tuition.
Junior criminal justice major Elizabeth Black said the rent increase affects her family, who helps her with her bills, and how it is a disadvantage.
“It affects my mom, who is gracious enough to help me out with these things, and she doesn’t have the means to help me as much as I don’t have the means to do it by myself,” Black said. “It’ll definitely affect my budgeting and how much I’m going to have to put towards work and what that’ll take away from my time for classes and everything.”
