We Don't Want Students Renting Either!

The Daily Free Press
City Council aims at student housing with apt. occupancy limit
Jeannie Nuss
Issue date: 1/22/08 Section: News
Media Credit: Kellie Borrero

New rules proposed by City Councilor Mike Ross could limit the number of non-family occupants in apartments in Boston.


The search for affordable urban housing may become more difficult if a recent Boston City Council bill to limit the number of people living together in a rental property passes.

If the legislation is approved and then affects the Boston Zoning Commission, landlords would not be permitted to house more than four non-related occupants in an apartment.

City Councilor Mike Ross (Back Bay, Fenway) said the over-crowding of apartments is turning into a serious student-housing issue in neighborhoods such as Brighton, where students comprise a large part of the population.

"Students have been victimized by landlords," he said. "They're paying exorbitant amounts of money to live like sardines."

Ross said an informal search on Craigslist turned up more than 3,000 examples of apartments for four or more occupants.

He said the City Council bill targets students because they are the ones typically living in high-occupancy apartments.

"If you have seven or eight or nine people living with each other, you'd be hard-pressed to find that if it wasn't students," he said.

If Mayor Thomas Menino signs the proposed bill, neighborhoods with large student populations such as Brighton and Fenway may get a demographic makeover, Ross said. He said the bill will reduce the value of property, making it easier for non-students to rent apartments.

"It's to give a fighting chance to a professional or a non-student or a family in a neighborhood," he said. "That's what these neighborhoods like Brighton and Mission Hill were intended for.

"In a couple of years, you're going to want to stay here and you're not going to want to live with four roommates for the rest of your life . . . neighborhoods like Fenway and Mission Hill will not be available," Ross continued.

"I think students will always move off campus," he said. "The ultimate tool is that universities have to provide more on-campus housing."

Ross said he thinks the legislation would not affect the number of students moving off campus because of on-campus housing shortages, Ross said.

However, housing organizations and students said the bill would make off-campus housing more difficult to find.

Grand Central Apartment Rentals President Ishay Grinberg said the bill would not impact the on-campus housing demand and the proposed legislation would only make the student-housing search even more strenuous.

"I don't think we need legislation on top of [occupancy laws]," he said.

The proposed legislation would make the rental market more competitive and possibly raise off-campus housing prices -- especially in student-populated areas such as Allston, he said.

"It's a numbers game," Grinberg said. "[Allston-area] landlords are probably going to capitalize on that."

Boston University College of Arts and Sciences freshman Elizabeth Krasick said she is worried about the obstacles the proposed law would add to the already difficult Boston apartment search.

"Limiting the number of people you're allowed to live with is just cropping boundaries . . . I don't think it's really fair," Krasick said. "It's really difficult to try to find somewhere close and reasonable near BU. It definitely makes me consider on-campus housing, which I don't want."