The off-campus housing around Quinnipiac University is about to undergo a change. For years, Quinnipiac would allow its students to move off campus after their freshman year. They could either move into Quinnipiac-owned housing or they could lease a house through a landlord. Now, that choice no longer remains.
In fall 2021, Quinnipiac announced that students are being required to stay on campus for their first six semesters. Students who were already enrolled at Quinnipiac were grandfathered in, allowing them to live in off-campus residences whatever class year they desired. However, any student in the class of 2025 and after, is required to live on-campus until their senior year.
Quinnipiac student Alyssa Luke, a junior psychology major, said that students who aren’t in their senior year can get the off-campus experience by dorming in Quinnipiac’s York Hill campus, which is typically reserved for upperclassmen, instead of living in off-campus housing.
“I think living on York Hill is a really good experience,” Luke said. “Because you get, you know, to live off campus in a way. You’re five minutes away, but you’re off campus, but you’re still in an environment surrounded by a bunch of students, you have the (York Hill) dining hall right there.”
With more students on campus, what is going to happen to off-campus life and the landlords that own these houses? Some landlords say they’re not worried about what is to come next year.
“All landlords are kind of fighting for just seniors and grad students, and it may make it a little bit more competitive, but I don’t think it will have too big of an impact on me personally,” said David Brennan, a landlord from Hamden.
Brennan and his father Ed, have been managing Hamden properties both alone and with each other for the past few years. For most of Brennan’s time owning a property by himself, his tenants were mostly seniors.
The competitive market for Quinnipiac landlords is about to undergo a change that has not been seen yet before. Instead of competing for sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students, landlords now only have two grades of students to work with.
Some landlords in the area do not live near their properties. Instead of being available at a moment’s notice, landlords live hours away in different states.
“I expect more competition,” Hamden landlord Tom Wetmore said. “I expect some people to sell their homes versus hold on to them for Quinnipiac rental. I think you’re gonna start seeing some not as good landlords be weeded out.”
It is unclear if that same type of competitiveness will be around next year. Students will not need to settle for a house that is more expensive and not as high quality as some of the other houses. If landlords provide homes that are not up to standard, there won’t be tenants to fill the house.
This decision came along with the reveal of Quinnipiac’s 10-year master plan in January 2021. The plan includes the creation of a new quad, health and wellness center, academic buildings and residential buildings. With new residential buildings, Quinnipiac students have even more choices of where they want to live. Residential buildings that students like Christina Stoeffler, a junior English and theater double major are excited to live in.
“A lot of different universities are only guaranteed housing for like, one year, maybe two years,” said Stoeffler, “So it’s nice to have that security for your three years coming in,”