r/UofO • u/LetTreySing555 • 28d ago
Off campus housing questions
My kid is a freshman and plans on living off campus next year. She is able to swing a one bedroom place and has been looking at various apartment complexes. I've seen others who are signing leases already for next fall, and am wondering if we should get on that now or if we can hold off til closer to September; I know not everywhere lets you reserve a unit so far out. Not sure if places tend to jack up rates closer to the start of the school year. She's not interested in any of the places marketed towards students or "micro studio", would like a one bedroom apartment/house/ADU. And is Springfield cool/safe? Seems cheaper there. Any recs of complexes or property managers to look into or avoid would also be appreciated!
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u/BassetM 28d ago
Definitely get on it now. A BIG NO to Springfield.
NO to the Standard.
The Soto has nice 1 bedroom apartments.
The Chapter (on 13th) has the best staff we’ve encountered. Everything about this place is top notch. the apartments are brand new, parking is available at a secured garage a block away, BUT the views are VERY hit or miss depending on the floor.
Flock13 has 1 bedrooms. The staff is very nice, the units are too. Parking sucks. The one bedrooms went fast last year.
Orchard Crossing has nice 1 bedrooms. garage on site.
2125 seems popular. Don’t know much about it.
Leases go Sept to August. You might get a deal if someone wants to back out of their lease last minute. This definitely happens but not a guarantee because 1 bedrooms are rarer.
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u/Haircut_111 20d ago
I am a current freshman starting to look into housing for next year. Why is The Standard a no?
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u/BassetM 20d ago
Just my opinion coming from the guarantor‘s perspective.
The Standard had issues finishing on time to the point I heard there were troubles with move in dates shifting. I read here about water being cut off or not usable for a few days. These things happen but it’s a new building. It sounds like they need to get the kinks worked out.
There are a lot of alternatives out there where these things aren’t an issue. If You like the Standard, maybe ask about the move in issues, and water issues, ask about maintenance on site, etc.
Chapter has been the best experience my daughter has had, the downside is that the views can be non existent on lower floors depending on apartment location.
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u/Senior-Media1863 28d ago
If you live in Springfield you're going to have to take a bus to get to the university. That's a pain in the ass The dorms are really nice. They also have private dorms. I'd look at both of them
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u/LetTreySing555 28d ago
She's in the dorms now and would like to be off campus next year. Good to know about Springfield, thanks.
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u/Bubbly-Book0919 28d ago
As a fellow parent these are my thoughts:
Figure out what she wants now. Housing goes fast. Figure out leasing, my kid is in a 2 bedroom apartment/condo not to far from the stadium. She likes it but it can get rowdy at times (nothing bad). At home game days her roommate and her take leisurely walks around the neighborhood to watch people who thought they can get away with not paying parking at there, but parking in the neighborhood throw a fit over a parking tickets.
I wouldn’t recommend Springfield. Just because of how I know certain offices work on campus. I find closer you are the more you will want to go.
13 & Olive and those similar apartments, unless they have great reviews just stay away from those. My kid’s 2nd year was with them and I never wanted to take my anger out on a company more than them.
Look on the housing for students and there should be plenty of opportunities but be prepared to grab them up fast
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u/thegoofiestbitch 27d ago
second that, 13th and olive was unbelievably horrible
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u/Bubbly-Book0919 27d ago
My kid rented a 4 bedroom condo with 2 of her friends. They legit didn’t have heat majority of the time. It also changed property owners so many times so as I was hiring a lawyer to sue for not providing the basic essentials it went through 3 or 4 different owners. The car break in was the final straw tho
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u/Ukin74 28d ago
I would definitely avoid the Standard. It’s a new building that was finished during the summer and apparently has had some issues during Thanksgiving where they were with no water for 2 or 3 days. My son is at 959 Franklin and shares a room with a friend. Each has his own bedroom. Most of the newer building will have individual leases so that’s a good thing. No worries of getting evicted cause roommates haven’t paid rent.
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u/Hamsteak_80 28d ago
I live at the standard. We were without water for 7-8 hours because the city had a broken pipe in the middle of the street.
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u/Aggravating-Pie-4058 28d ago
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u/LetTreySing555 28d ago
Yes, she's currently a freshman and is living on campus.
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u/Nervous_Garden_7609 28d ago
Sometimes, it's the same price as having a single dorm. If you look at the 12-month lease system in Eugene vs. The actual months you'll be in the apartment. You pay for 12, but only get 11.
Is that an option? Has she looked into New res apartments or GSH singles? Is she interested in being an RA next year? Free housing, and you get your own room. It's highly competitive, but if she does a few things now, she can give herself a better opportunity.
Parking will be an issue if she lives farther than walking distance. There isn't free parking near campus.
Living by yourself your sophomore year can be isolating, too.
If money isn't an issue, I'd have her start looking now. Maybe do a few tours and then research the property management company. Signing sooner is generally better, but I'd suggest getting it in writing that she is getting the best deal and rates won't lower.
If she doesn't mind the drive, it will be far less to live near Autzen.
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u/TurnerRadish 28d ago edited 28d ago
I think it would be a huge pain to live in Springfield and also more expensive than you think because there would be constant transportation/parking costs to get to and from campus. Plus, very few UO students live out there (unless they're living at home). A lot of the housing close to campus require tenants to renew their leases by mid-January, so in January and early February there will be more options opening up because not everyone renews. I'd encourage her to look then if she doesn't find anything she likes now. Most of those are geared toward students, but I guess I'm confused by why that doesn't appeal to her, given the fact that those are most convenient to campus.
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u/LetTreySing555 28d ago
Thanks, this is super helpful. I have no clue why those places don't appeal to her either, other than she's not into partying and she may have a preconceived notion that they're rowdy.
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u/TurnerRadish 28d ago
You're welcome. I have a junior and have learned a few things about housing in Eugene! I do think there are pockets of housing close to campus where it might be a quieter, less party atmosphere. I also know there are some single rooms in dorms (as others have suggested) and some might be specifically aimed for students who seek a quiet/non-rowdy vibe. Wishing her luck on finding the right spot!
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u/Cthicks331 28d ago
I would recommend apartments right by Autzen (chase village, park grove etc..). It’s generally safe. It’s equal distance from down town Eugene, Campus, and Springfield. Bus runs to campus every 30 min during school year, pretty safe bus considering it’s all students. As a grad student myself it’s nice not to be surrounded by a bunch of parties going on, but also be able to take the bus to campus or downtown to hit the bars with friends. Plus, it’s close to Gateway which has many places to eat (mall, chipolte, dutchbros etc). It’s a nightmare with traffic about 5-7 saturdays from Aug-December because the football game. But it’s manageable and that’s like the only legitimate complaint I have about this spot.
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u/LetTreySing555 28d ago
Thanks, she's interested in a couple of the complexes in that area so this is good info.
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u/Wild_Ad_2917 28d ago
I live at Union on broadway and have since I was a sophomore, current senior. It is a nice place to live and staff has been helpful when I need them or bring up issues with them. The ceilings are concrete so I rarely hear my upstairs neighbors unless they are screaming. It is about a 10-15 minute walk to and from campus which is nice and the Whole Foods is just across the street if she needs to grab groceries or quick ingredient. Overall I would recommend Union they also have good options for one bedrooms and usually run deals if you check their instagram @uniononbroadway
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u/independentgirl3000 28d ago
avoid all things american campus such as 2125, 959, or 515 as they are overpriced even with the “deals” offered closer to the school year. the management is horrible here and i never felt safe for 1,900 a month one bedroom.
springfield is safe but farther from campus and it may encourage her to skip class more. i know it would for me. try looking into k15, capri, ducks village, and even google for just studio options or even a realtor such as teresa stanley who is incredibly knowledgeable with local apartments safety and more.
the sooner you sign the better since so many apartments are available but ones in safe and reasonably priced areas tend to go quick. a good rule of thumb is to having housing figured out by winter term at the LATEST unless you are looking for a house in which many pop up spring term. hope this helps!
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u/Go_Solar_Today 27d ago
Get 4-5 friends together for a 5 bedroom ” Beverpad” private student built newer housing, private room/bathroom kichenand double large refrigators, Laundry, at $900 a month within 10 min walk of campus. Deposit now but have to pay for summer months but one move in and one out. Best to get the same majors so it becomes communal be prepare for a move out but sweet pocket listing and the group choice of new roommate $100 ea utilities mo th and $100 a year lease increase.
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u/Big-Produce-9014 27d ago
Check out The Patterson Social! They have a lot of one bedroom options and it’s very close to campus.
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u/annabanana0w0 25d ago
do it now!! you’re gonna end up with some bottom of the barrel, un repaired place with terrible roommates otherwise. TRUST ME!!!!
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u/annabanana0w0 25d ago
springfield is about as safe as eugene; leave the house with caution and don’t walk around alone and unprotected if at all possible. pan handling is illegal in springfield unlike eugene, so the streets luckily tend to stay more clear
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u/patishell 25d ago
Lease now.
Stay away from campus connections as well.
My duck did well at duck abbey except for the car vandalism but that's hard to get away from.
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u/Similar_Matter_8178 22d ago
I would highly, highly recommend living closer to campus. My sophomore year I lived a ways out of town, “saved” 100$ a month on rent but wasted an an hour and a half commuting to school and ended up spending too much money dealing with parking. There are many complexes around, I ended up at the ferry street flats, it was a fair price, clean living and 15 minute walk from campus. I’d recommend looking towards a newer place, these buildings can get pretty ran through. It’s easy to stay away from the party scene, especially being in a studio so I wouldn’t worry about that.
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u/ckruck03 28d ago
i assume you already know this since you say your kid has plans already, but freshmen at UO are pretty much required to live on campus, unless you have a particular situation or exemption. so just a heads up if yall don’t already know that! freshmen usually have to live in the dorms
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u/LetTreySing555 27d ago
She's currently a freshman and lives in dorms. Was wondering about for next year.
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u/ckruck03 27d ago
ah my bad. i was very tired when i read this and assumed this was about an incoming freshman
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u/AtownPDX 28d ago
Get on it now. Springfield would be very alienating, especially if living alone. You only get to be young and in college once. I used to have a 6 block away from campus rule. Being able to walk to school is super underrated.