At the beginning of March, my landlord sent me an unwelcome message: “Your utility statement due on 3/1/2023 is ready. Current charges due are $154.32.” Not only did I have to pay rent for my high-rise apartment, I also had to cough up well over twice the average amount an Ann Arbor resident pays for water, electricity and sewer charges. While high-rise apartments here are touted for their convenient location and awesome amenities, a plethora of factors indicate that the housing option may not be as luxurious nor lucrative as leasing offices make it out to be.
One of the major problems of high-rise apartments is their active contribution to the declining home affordability in Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor’s housing prices are already quite high, as demand outweighs the supply of housing and a large volume of residents desire to live in a very small city. High-rise apartments are already unaffordable to the majority of undergraduate students at the University of Michigan, and the increased presence of high-rises in Ann Arbor also drives up the housing prices of nearby residences. This is because rents are based on whatever the market allows, rather than the quality of the home itself. As new properties make an area seem more desirable and stimulate activity, the values of existing homes also increase. While construction companies may have been responding to a demand, the impacts on Ann Arbor residents who cannot afford luxury housing options ought not to be overlooked.
When rent for a four-bed plan can be upwards of $1,419 per bedroom, and other high-rises swiftly follow suit in their predatory increases, the average student can only question whether living in a high-rise is worth the cost. Granted, being steps away from campus, Instagram-worthy restaurants and shopping options are very convenient. Leaving my apartment at 9:57 a.m. for a 10:00 a.m. class is an amazing advantage. However, the extra 10 minutes of sleep come with an incredibly steep cost: not including utilities and fees, floor plans for high-rises close to campus start at over $1,300, with deluxe private room or studio options spanning from $1,800 to over $2,500 a month. How much more will prices leap from here before the city of Ann Arbor faces an irreversible, universally harmful affordability crisis?
The unreasonable prices of high-rise apartments are compounded by the low quality of the apartments and surprise utility fees that residents are regularly charged with.
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Samyak Srikant, Z West resident and LSA sophomore, described his apartment as having “super thin walls and poor amenities, such as a dryer that does not work properly or weak water pressure.”
Indeed, the walls at most high-rise apartments are so thin to the extent that phone calls or sneezes made in adjacent rooms can be overheard, and guests are pressured to speak at a volume close to murmuring to avoid conflicts with roommates. Compromising one’s privacy and living in constant fear of being too loud or overheard should not happen when an apartment’s monthly price totals nearly $2,000.
In addition, it is not uncommon for students discussing potential housing options to advise one another on which apartments charge hidden fees. In an interview with The Daily, Anna Wang, Hub Ann Arbor resident and Nursing junior, said that “there are lots and lots of random fees (that are charged) unannounced. (I paid) a new year, updated parking increase fee of $10.99 that just popped up without notice.”
Despite the many drawbacks that garner students’ attention, many residents of high-rise apartments are still satisfied with their experience, and oftentimes with good reason. Despite her dissatisfaction with arbitrary fees or imperfect maintenance, Wang said, “(Her home) feels like a dream apartment on TikTok and feels fortunate to afford such a nice apartment.”
In an interview with The Daily, LSA juniors Ranya Sareen and Lilah Shandel also agreed that they love their apartment building. Sareen and Shandel said, “(We) love the convenient location and good amenities (offered by the apartment).”
They specifically cited its gym, penthouse study lounge and helpful staff. Both Sareen and Shandel are residents of Six11 and will be renewing their respective leases for the next year.
It seems unlikely that developers will slow the construction of high-rise apartments in Ann Arbor any time soon. Under such circumstances, the University and the city of Ann Arbor should actively implement policies that alleviate the housing problems faced by students on a daily basis. Subsidizing lower-income residents in Ann Arbor with more public resources for housing, providing more public transportation options for students living in areas far from campus and actively encouraging more rent-controlled housing at a community level are just some of the many solutions that may help mitigate the terrible affordability of housing in the Ann Arbor area. The skyrocketing prices of housing and living can seriously affect students’ financial and physical well-being. If you’re on the lookout for a house to live in for the fall 2023 semester, it might be worth conducting some serious research before signing a lease for that glossy high-rise.
From Seoul, South Korea, So Jin Jung is an Opinion Columnist with a passion for politics and journalism. She can be reached at sojinj@umich.edu.