5 Reasons Why You Should Always Offer Furnished Student Housing

Researchers expect the demand for U.S. student housing to grow by 734,000 beds by 2031. It’s become a vital resource for students in expensive housing markets, like Southern California, who may not be able to afford off-campus options.

Student housing administrators have a huge role to play in making sure these students have access to homes. An underrated part of that is deciding whether your university will offer furnished student housing in addition to non-furnished units.

We think you should. Below, we’ll highlight five ways you and your students can benefit from having this type of university housing available on campus. 

The Benefits of Furnished Student Housing

As you read through this section, keep in mind that the actual benefits your school gets by offering a furnished housing option can vary but will often include the following.

1. Convenience And Ease

Furnished student rooms are a lot more convenient for your students. They save them from having to buy and transport big pieces of furniture like beds and couches. 

This significantly simplifies the process of moving in and out of campus housing units. It’s one less thing your students will need to worry about as they go through the challenging transition to the college experience.

Furnished housing that extends beyond the rec space can also make life easier for professionals who provide housing services for students. It helps you attract more students, which can reduce your turnover time between leases and your property management workload.

2. Cost Savings For Students

There are also financial benefits to consider when deciding whether to offer furnished university living to your student community. The cost savings for students are obvious. 

Those who take advantage of your furnished private bath and bed won’t have to spend as much money on furniture. They also won’t need to pay for help moving or putting furniture together. This means students have more money in their pockets during the school year, which can have a positive impact on their stress levels.

But someone has to pay for all that furniture. As a student housing administrator, that will likely be your department’s job. However, the upfront costs tend to mask the long-term financial benefits of offering furnished housing.

Your school can charge higher rent prices to students with furnished hall preferences. Furnished bedrooms can also have lower turnover rates, so you’re not paying to clean and advertise them as often. Your vacancy rates can also decline, which means more rental income for your department.

3. Enhanced Attractiveness And Market Competitiveness

Furnished units are often more attractive to students than non-furnished options. That’s because furnished rooms:

• Are easier to move into

• Have lower upfront costs

• Are easier to move out of (students don’t have to take the furniture with them when they leave)

• Are helpful for communities like international students and transfer students who may be overwhelmed by the move-in process

For housing administrators, offering furnished housing can help you stand out from the competition and appeal to a broader range of student communities. It can also help you attract more students to live on campus without spending extra on marketing. It all adds up to more revenue by offering a housing experience that’s more in line with what your students want.

4. Streamlined Moving Process

Student housing move-in day is a notoriously chaotic day for campuses across the country. You can make it easier for your students by offering furnished housing options. 

Students who move into these units will only need to pack personal belongings. This makes move-ins faster and reduces the number of big moving vans you have to fit in your limited outdoor space.

It can also make your life easier as a housing administrator. When move-ins are easier for students, that typically means fewer questions for you to answer and problems for you to solve.

If you really want to streamline your moving process, you can combine this strategy with modern housing software. Platforms like Housing.Cloud offer a wide variety of features, including the ability to create customized forms and processes for in-office and student use. You can leverage these to reduce your move-in day workload and give students a better first-day-on-campus experience.

5. Promotion of Sustainable Living

Surveys show young people care deeply about the environment and sustainability. This impacts their lifestyle choices and the kinds of purchases they make. Your housing department can appeal to this by offering furnished housing with sustainable options.

For example, you can fill your furnished units with eco-friendly furniture made from recycled materials and non-destructive processes. You can also point out that students who choose furnished housing are making a sustainable choice. This is because they won’t have to buy furniture and contribute to the environmental degradation caused by producing, packaging, and shipping furniture.

You can highlight the sustainability of furnished housing as a way to get more students interested in on-campus college living. Offering sustainable housing options helps make students feel like they are going to live in a community that aligns with their values, which can increase their satisfaction and improve their overall experience in campus housing.

Enhance The Entire Student Accommodation Experience

Offering furnished student housing can help you fill units, deliver savings to students, and simplify move-in days. But that’s just the beginning. By upgrading your student housing software to Housing.Cloud, you can improve the entire student accommodation experience at your university.

Our modern student housing tool can help you deliver better college roommate matches, customize your housing eligibility forms, give students more ways to get the support they need, and so much more. It can make your job easier while making your bosses happy.

But don’t take our word for it. Sign up for a free demo today, and we’ll give you a firsthand look at what Housing.Cloud can do for your housing department.