The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

The student media organization of California State University Northridge

Daily Sundial

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Rising apartment prices affect college students

Tuition differences aside, students from CSUN, UCLA and USC are united by at least one common experience: similar apartment rental costs that seem to be increasing every year.

A study conducted by RealFacts, a housing research organization, found that at the end of last year, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside counties posted apartment rental costs that increased by more than 4 percent in just one year.

“There is a land shortage and an influx of people,” said Sascha Endsley-Dubin, a real estate agent at Pinnacle Estate Properties, which operates apartment complexes in the San Fernando Valley. “Builders can’t keep up with supply and demand, so prices are on the rise.”

Rashaad Dixon, a Northridge resident and CSUN alumnus, said he decided to move to a cheaper apartment complex when the Village Apartments on Lindley Avenue raised the rent for his three-bedroom apartment, which he shared with two current CSUN students.

“They raised my rent from $1,650 to $1,790, so one of my roommates and I moved to Chatsworth, which is a little further from the school, but my rent is about $700 less for a two-bedroom (apartment),” Dixon said.

“Landlords know they can raise the prices (for apartments) because students need to live close, so they will pay it,” Dixon said.

Many apartments close to CSUN advertise rent that varies around $100 on average, depending on the type, location and size of the apartment, and do not vary much in cost from some randomly sampled apartments near UCLA and USC.

A one-bedroom apartment starts at around $900 at the Balboa Apartments located off Reseda Boulevard, according to a randomly conducted sampling of apartment costs in the area. Another complex asks $1,025 for a one-bedroom apartment within about a five-mile radius of the Balboa Apartments.

UCLA offers surrounding off-campus apartments for prices similar to the Northridge area. A one-bedroom apartment at Weyburn Terrace, located near UCLA and an apartment complex recommended by the main UCLA student housing office, starts at $910. Other complexes within a few miles of Weyburn Terrace ask for $926 for a one-bedroom apartment.

Largely populated with students from CSUN and other schools in the area, the Northridge Campus Residence, located on Zelzah Avenue adjacent to the CSUN tennis courts, is one of the least expensive privately owned complexes in the area, with one-bedroom apartments starting at $700.

“Prices all around (the area) have gone up in last few years,” said Phyllis Gilpin, a front desk employee at NCR. “We stay filled because we do offer the most affordable prices. The dorms on (the CSUN campus) are even more expensive (than we are).”

USC has apartments surrounding its campus that are a bit more expensive compared with areas surrounding CSUN and UCLA.

Rent at largely student-populated apartments like Centurion and Chateau Sera near USC offer one-bedroom apartments for between $1,075 and $1,095.

“(The prices) are comparable,” said David Starks, a CSUN alumnus who works in the CSUN student housing office as an assistant. “Any apartment around here is probably going to be more expensive than living on campus.”

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