KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The start of the fall semester for the University of Tennessee is coming soon. With a large influx of students returning to town in the next few weeks, some transfers, who trying to find off campus housing, are running into problems.
The number of students on campus continues to rise and those looking for off campus housing are having trouble finding places to live affordably. To find housing quick and close to campus, students are forced to apply for leases a year in advance.
The search for housing continues for transfer student Chasia Riddle.
“One of the things I’ve learned is that you kind of have to get housing a year in advance here in Knoxville which is hard to do,” Riddle said. “I’m a transfer student, I just got here in the Spring and finding housing for the fall was virtually impossible because everybody got their housing for this fall in October.”
For Alex Steinberg, a sophomore transferring to the University of Tennessee, he knew getting housing close to campus at a quality price was going to be difficult.
“I remember actually seeing it on YouTube that UT students were camping out for days before the lease started for some of the apartment complexes near campus,” Steinberg said. “So, I knew that after I confirmed my enrollment that it was going to be difficult to find something close.”
“Most of it is way too expensive,” Riddle said. “I’m not taking out loans for college and I’m paying my way through and doing that on a monthly basis is just not manageable at all.”
The process on finding housing is especially tricky for transfer students and those from out of state who are not very familiar with the area.
“It was kind of an odd process. Coming in as a transfer, especially, it was a little difficult trying to find people versus if I was there my first year maybe knowing a few different spots or getting in early with other students that I knew,” Steinberg said. “I know it was a little bit stressful especially in my household trying to find housing and making sure after I did confirm my enrollment that I was going to be able to live somewhere.”
More from reporter Dominic Webster
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- Real estate firm working to add affordable housing options in Knoxville
- Judge rules in favor of Knoxville’s only black-owned radio station in FCC license case
- UT students battle roach infestation after waiting days on the street for lease last fall
- ‘Expecting magic’ Tennessee football home games hoped to bring economic boost to Knoxville
WATE searched for some places in the Fort Sanders neighborhood where the monthly rent ranged from an average price of $1,100 at The Commons and $1,300 at University Walk.
Construction projects are underway along Cumberland Avenue. Several new high-rise apartment buildings are in the works aiming to bring thousands more rental units for students.
The University of Tennessee is also planning to build new dorms.
