Housing options vary in the summer

Chapel Hill may be a home away from home for many students, but which housing option to choose can be a headache for those who opt to stay during the summer months.

Depending on prices, openings and personal preferences of residents, summer session students can stay on or off campus. Options include living in on-campus housing, in Granville Towers, or subletting an apartment or house in the area.

On campus

The roughly 800 students who choose to stay on-campus for summer session I and the average 600 for summer session II can live in any of the summer housing options.

Available dorms are Kenan, Alderman, McIver, Spencer, Graham, Aycock and Stacy. Prices for the rooms vary depending on the type of room a student wants.

A typical residence hall double room is $846 per session. Rooms in alternative set-ups such as Ram Village and Odum Village are based on whether there are one or two bedrooms.

Prices range from $931 for a two-bedroom Odum apartment and $1,209 for a one-bedroom set-up in Ram Village.

Rick Bradley, director of operations for UNC Housing and Residential Education, said students must apply for summer housing under the application on the website. The application is currently open, and room assignments begin April 16.

“We don’t typically have a deadline to submit housing,” Bradley said. “The application remains open until the opening of summer school or until we’re full, whichever comes first. We normally have space for all students who need it.”

He said there are still resident advisers during the summer, and although there are residence hall programs for students, they focus less on the communities students live in and more on different aspects of summer school.

Most summer programs are organized by the Carolina Union Activities Board, Bradley said.

Amenities, which are typically available for check out in dorms during the school year, are not available in the summer due to differences in fees during the traditional school year, he said.

Granville Towers

Granville Towers offers three different room styles for students who are staying close to campus over the summer but do not want to go through RHA to arrange accomodations.

A traditional double room is $1,317 per person per summer session. The single Franklin design, which includes extra amenities like a mini fridge, is $1,783, according to Granville’s web site. The single Ramses design includes a kitchenette and costs $1,998.

Prices include 15 meals per week, bathroom cleaning, access to recreational facilities and other utilities.

Students may also receive a parking permit for $85 per session. Payments for the first summer session are due May 1, and payments for the second summer session are due June 1.

Applications can be filled out in person at Granville Towers, on its website or over the phone. A nonrefundable application fee of $50 is required for individuals who are not current residents during the regular school year.

Off campus

It is a common practice for UNC summer students to sublet — a legal agreement in which a landlord permits his tenant to let someone else stay in his residence, said Dorothy Bernholz, director and staff attorney for Carolina Student Legal Services.

Getting the averages for the best time to apply and pricing for this housing option is difficult because they vary based on the situation and needs of both the tenant and subtenant, Bernholz said.

She said students considering this housing option should be careful to make everything clear and understood when making a subletting agreement.

The legal services office has sample agreement forms, and Bernholz said she encourages both parties to come in together, get the document and talk with an attorney.

“Whatever you do, you must get permission of the landlord,” she said.

Bernholz said she recommends subtenants go in and take photos of where they will be staying prior to moving in to avoid being held responsible for any existing damage.

Bernholz also said that students who are subletting to others should be careful about whom they lease their space to because the regular tenant could be held responsible if the subtenant leaves the residence dirty or damaged.

“The landlord will keep the security deposit from the regular tenant, if that happens,” she said.

“To protect yourself, you should have it in writing and a complete understanding between the two students of what’s going on, and then written permission from the landlord.”

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