Advances in automatic fire and smoke detection, central station alarms, and automatic sprinklers have helped property losses decline slightly in the last decade. However, despite all of this, the number of fires in student housing buildings across the United States remains relatively consistent.
Buildings including apartments, townhouses, row houses, condominiums, and other tenement properties, tend to have stricter fire and life-safety code requirements than single family housing units.

On average, there are over 100,000 multifamily residential building fires in the United States each and every year. Here are some facts on these fires:

400 deaths on average per year
Over 4,000 injuries on average per year
$1.3 billion in property losses.
Roughly 1/3rd to 1/2 of the these stats are originating from cooking equipment mishaps:
    45 percent of reported home structure fires
    17 percent of home fire deaths
    42 percent of home fire injuries
    16 percent of direct property damage
An official report from the Fire Safety commission stated the following:
“cooking equipment was involved in more than two-thirds (69 percent) of reported apartment fires and about one-third (35 percent) of fires in one- or two-family homes, although it was the leading cause in both.”

Cooking-related fires present a significant exposure in student housing and commercial cooking properties.
Heating equipment had the second-highest fire frequency, at over 5 percent.

The remaining causes were from the following:

Appliances
Arson
Smoking-Related Incidents
The majority of multifamily residential building fires, 73.8 percent, did not extend beyond the original object or area of origin, such as the kitchen stove. Fires that did extend beyond the area of origin were usually cooking-related fires.

Rochester Smart Student Housing urges each and every student to follow proper fire safety guidelines when saying in one of our off-campus housing units.  Fire safety is imperative and can mean the difference between life and death.

At Rochester Smart Student Housing we tend to fill up quite fast with occupants.  Despite the weather, Fall is a "hot" season for us as the bulk of our students get set up with housing for the Fall school term.  By no means does this mean we can't accommodate off-season student housing tenants.
Here's a quick run down of the students that rent our homes after the Fall/Winter school season ends:
 
Students Who Missed The On-Campus Housing Boat
Believe it or not, on-campus housing can be pretty competitive.  This results in many students being put on a waiting list, while others are denied during the on-campus application process.  Sometimes, the students who are placed on a waiting list will occasionally hold off on securing other housing, hoping that someone drops out, leaving a vacancy.  This can result in literally hundreds of students looking for off-campus alternatives.
 
Exchange Students
Most colleges and universities host a study abroad program.  This is where students from different countries all around the world will come over to study for an extended period of time. These programs often begin mid-year, so the exchange students probably won’t be seeking accommodations until later in the school term.  Echange students are a perfect example of "off-season student tenants."
 
Transfer Students
There are always transfer students each year.  Transfer students will change their school or program for multiple reasons.  Regardless of the reasons, these transfer students will usually be late-registrants, so they’ll be searching for accommodations later than most.  A portion of them will choose off-campus housing.
 
Students Changing Their Housing
Some students just don't want to stay on campus anymore.  They crave the freedom of being out on their own so it's not uncommon for on-campus student tenants to turn into off-campus student tenants.  Furthermore, some students may want to change their accommodation and move-in with new friends after the semester has started.
 
Recent Graduates
In many college and university towns, recent graduates that secure employment in the city may opt to remain living in their student housing accommodation to save money on rent.  This is a very smart decision on the students part. Typically, a studio or bachelor apartment will cost significantly more than Rochester Smart Student Housing.
 
Do you fall into any of the above categories?  If so Rochester Smart Student Housing can meet your needs and supply you  with the absolute best student housing in all of Rochester NY.

Virtual reality tours and 3D floor plans are the latest rage when it comes to checking out a house, whether the intent is to buy or rent.  The question becomes: Should student's rely on VR tours to help choose their rental home.
There are a few things to consider first...
As so many young people are considered "technophiles" in this day and age a virtual tour is something they get excited about.  However, nothing beats the real thing.  The absolute best way to see the home that an occupant plans on living in is by showing up in person.  VR software can be manipulated, after all, and what a student experiences in cyber space may not match up to it's real life counterpart.

There are a lot of software and CGI enhancement wizards out there that know how to multiply the wow factor of walking through a virtual reality version of a home a student is thinking about renting.  The problem is, if a student is not seeing the real picture then reality may have a nasty surprise in store for them.

A virtual reality tour can look clean and, well...perfect.  However, it is up to the student to see first hand if the VR tour matches up with the actual property in question.  Digital marketing makeovers are extensive in this day and age and false images are often promoted in hopes of attracting prospective renters.

Even if nothing beats the real thing, virtual reality housing tours offer advantages, especially for certain kind of students.  Out-of-state or out-of-country students cannot arrange for in-person tours of accommodations, at least, with any kind of convenience.  Virtual reality student housing tours become very useful  in this case.

Virtual reality tours go a step beyond photos and video, whereas they allow for an immersive and interactive experience for student renters, without leaving the comfort of their current home.

As marketing trends move to Gen Z versus millennials, expect more and more technology to be integrated into the mix.  , it’s reasonable to predict that virtual reality tours and immersive experiences will become more prevalent in student housing. Ten years from now, we may very well be seeing that virtual reality tours are a must, and photos are no longer the preference.

Here is RSSH's final say on virtual reality student housing tours.  It is simply better for a student to actually step foot inside the home they are considering renting rather than depend on a computer generated recreation.  This way the said student will actually see what they will be getting rather than hope the VR simulation tour holds a candle to the real home in question.
Technology is great but can also be deceptive. 
Student's should always practice due diligence and check out the property they are planning on staying in.  Is it safe? Clean?  The actual distance from the school that's advertised?  All thing that can only be verified in person, inside and on the premises of the actual student home.

The title might seem like it is directed just to student housing tenants but, honestly, this advice applies to everyone everywhere.  If you don't keep your personal space clean...it gets dirty.  Seems almost like the advice is sarcastic but it's actually that simple.

In other words...

If you want to make sure the creepy crawlies and the rodents don't show up it is always better to keep your apartment, home, or room clean.  Something most student's parents have probably told them countless times.

Clean up food spills and have no food left out for the mice to eat, including pet food and the crumbs and spills on the floor from eating around the home.  Use a wet cloth and household disinfectants, not just a vacuum.

Wash any dirty clothing in a washing machine in hot water any cloth items including blankets, rugs, and pillows. Steam any carpets if possible.

Avoid accumulating clutter. Clutter provides rodents and insects nesting areas and hiding spots. Extermination efforts are limited if the critters are hiding in boxes and personal belongings. Plastic bins and tubs can be utilized for storage..

Be aware of your living space at all times.  Are things out of place? Is there a mess somewhere? Clean it up.  The more litter and junk around, especially food, the more chance that an infestation can start.

Here is a quick rundown on how much time should be spent to ensure a living space stays clean.

Bedrooms
Approximate time: Spend 10 minutes per bedroom

Bathroom
Approximate time: Spend 10 minutes per bathroom

Kitchen
Approximate time: Spend 15 minutes cleaning the kitchen.

Living Room​
Approximate time: Spend 15-20 minutes(depending on the size) cleaning the living room

Staying on top of cleansiness is highly recommended otherwise, it is just more work a student will have to do later.  A little cleaning now can save a tenant a LOT of time in the future that could be better spent on the stuff they enjoy doing rather than janitorial work.