After Loyola canceled on-campus housing for the fall 2020 semester, some students have since turned to Airbnb as a housing alternative. Instead of signing a conventional Chicago apartment lease, Airbnbs can offer a semester-long housing experience, with minimal commitment while being in the city.
Airbnb is an online temporary housing service that connects landlords with people interested in staying in their property for a short or extended period. Some students say what drove them to live in Airbnbs were the amenities provided and the option of temporary accommodation. However, it is not known how many Loyola students currently use Airbnb or similar services to live near campus.
Loyola announcement October 28 provides for a limited reopening of the campus in the spring. Dorms will reopen, but at reduced capacity and with only one student per room, according to Loyola website.
Anna Svolos, a freshman nursing student at Loyola, intends to live in an Airbnb during the spring semester instead of a university residence. Before campus housing was canceled for the fall, Svolos was assigned to Bellarmine room – a dormitory for upper class students and the northernmost residence of Lake Shore Campus (LSC).
Svolos, 18, said she had never stayed at an Airbnb before, but the idea came from first-year nursing student Sylvia Stypinski who lived in one. Instead of choosing to sign a one-year lease, Svolos said she would prefer to return to Pennsylvania – where she is from – during the summer and stay in Chicago for the semester.
Some Loyola students, like Stypinski, lived in an Airbnb last semester. Stypinski said she planned to live at Nobili Hall this year and her roommate contacted her about living in Chicago after the campus housing was canceled.
“Honestly, I was a little worried at first because of the cost and everything,” Stypinski said, referring to renting an apartment.
Stypinski said she and her roommate checked out Airbnbs to see if it would be a “cheaper option.” Stypinski said she plans to live in their Edgewater Airbnb again for the second half of the year.
Stypinski lives with two other roommates, each with their own bedroom. Plus, she said she liked having a kitchen and the Airbnb’s proximity to Aldi (6221 N. Broadway) and Whole Foods (6009 N. Broadway).
Another reason to choose an Airbnb over an apartment is that they are furnished, said Stypinski. Most apartments are generally unfurnished or with minimal furnishings.
“With Airbnb – I’m pretty sure it’s like that for everyone – utilities are all included. So you don’t pay for water or heat,” Stypinski said.
Compared to the cost of campus living, Stypinski said he saved “a few thousand dollars”.
The cost of living in any of Loyola’s six freshman rooms can range from $ 9,040 to $ 11,130, according to Residence Life. website. For many students, the cost of campus living also includes the cost of a meal plan.
The average monthly rent cost in Chicago is $ 1,943, according to RENT Cafe. However, various factors, such as location, can determine an apartment or The cost of Airbnb.
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