Some ISU students aren’t able to squeeze into on-campus housing with the demand for dorm space growing each year. There are many options for off-campus housing near Iowa State’s campus, but some options aren’t exactly legal.

Some students such as Raegan Mickelson, sophomore in animal science, have situations where there is a gap between when their old lease ends and new lease begins.

“I had to move out of my other place on July 29, but my new lease in Campustown didn’t start until Aug. 8,” Mickelson said. “I was either going to have to get a hotel room or stay with my boyfriend for that time. My boyfriend’s two other roommates weren’t even moved in yet, so I stayed with him to save money.”

Mickelson said the demand for off-campus housing is high and the options for five to six bedrooms were limited mainly to Brickstone Place Apartments in Campustown and houses when she searched. 

Mickelson said many places had large numbers of applicants, which limited options even further.

Mickelson’s situation lasted one week, but permanent residency of illegal tenants — tenants not bound by the lease of where they are staying — does occur. 

Property management companies take action if illegal tenants are discovered living in a home where they are not part of the lease.

“It’s a very common thing that happened when I was a student at Iowa State,” said Todd Wuestenberg, property manager at Haverkamp Properties Apartments in Ames. “When we do see that illegal occupant — what we call a ghost tenant — then we take action.”

Wuestenberg said there are some situations where an illegal tenant can be added to the lease, but residents will more often than not be sent a notice of noncompliance and asked to remove their illegal roommate.

“We know Iowa State University has been having record enrollment,” Wuestenberg said. “As a result, they’ve not been able to provide all the housing for people who want to live on campus, and because they can’t meet those demands, then that’s spilling out to off-campus.”

He said the closer to campus students search for off-campus housing, the more expensive rent will be. Wuestenberg said housing is all about supply and demand and when there is high demand but little supply, students will look for ways to consolidate and save money.

In low-density residential areas, students would be limited to fitting three non-related people in one house to comply with Ames occupancy laws. 

Wuestenberg said these low-density residential areas are often neighborhood associations and include houses on Hyland Avenue, Campus Avenue and other neighborhood areas close to campus where many students live.

“Maybe the question would be is it fair to the neighbors who are expecting to live next to low density, where there is going to be only three unrelated to be able to allow more than that in there,” Wuestenberg said.

Adding an extra roommate or two can cut down on expensive off-campus rent. 

Mickelson said she might be annoyed in a situation where neighbors have more roommates than they are legally allowed but said she also understands why people do it.

“As college students, it’s almost impossible to afford rent close to campus without taking out loans,” Mickelson said.

Wuestenberg said Haverkamp has lost prospective tenants to other property management companies that allow an extra illegal roommate, but Haverkamp’s relationship with the neighbors and the community are most important in the long run.

“There are more reasons than just illegal tenancy, but we’re taking a more proactive approach,” Wuestenberg said. “We’re going to an electronic lock. In other words, you won’t have a key you can copy and give to your illegal roommate to have access to the apartment.”

Wuestenberg said this will be a way to keep illegal tenancy under control in Haverkamp-managed apartments.

“In some regards, there’s the compassion side to these situations,” Wuestenberg said. “But we’re also a business. We have to be in compliance because we obviously don’t want to be out of compliance with the city.”