After two years of meal plans and dorm rooms, UD students face many housing choices as juniors and seniors. Among them is the option to lease a house from a private landlord rather than participating in the housing lottery.

Over 100 landlord houses are scattered throughout the Darkside and Ghetto, as well as off-campus. They are similar to UD houses in some ways, such as requiring students to sign contracts or having rules about trash or pets. However, there are differences some students find beneficial, such as price, choice and flexibility.

UD owns approximately 375 properties on campus, which cost from $2,300 to $2,900 per semester per student. Landlord housing costs fall within that range, but lower, too.

Junior entrepreneurship and marketing major Dan Ptak pays $1,800 per semester, including utilities.

'This is one of the best viable options,' he said, especially for juniors with less chances in the lottery.

Choosing a landlord house allows one to bypass the lottery stresses of trying to gather enough credit hours or waiting uncertainly for final notification, according to senior pre-med major Jon Denham, who lived in a landlord house as a junior and is in UD housing this year.

'What's good is you know where you're living way before anyone else,' Denham said.

In addition, the houses are subject to city and state regulations, but not those of the university.

'It's a little bit more laid back,' said senior business major Joe Price, referring to fines and rent collection.

These students also experience another relationship, that with their landlords.

'I've heard of a lot of landlords who haven't been good,' Denham said. 'When we had any problems, our landlord was right on top of it.'

George Kuntz, who leases ten houses to UD tenants, characterized his relationship with his tenants.

'I try to be fair and upfront, and expect the same from my tenants,' Kuntz wrote in an email. 'If there is a problem, I want to know about [it]. Generally, I feel I can sit down on the porch of any house and have a beer with them.'

There are downsides, though. Unlike Ptak, Denham talked of the stress of having to remember to collect money from each roommate to pay for utilities each month.

'It was definitely a low point,' he said.

There is also the issue of connection to campus. Landlord housing offers neither access to UD's computer network nor cable. Ptak, who lives on Medford Street off Stewart Street, spoke of the lack of the 'famous UD community.'

'We are the only students in our neighborhood,' Ptak said.

However, he added, it allows him the opportunity to be closer to his roommates and his neighbors, who 'love us.'

Kuntz offered his advice to students weighing the two options.

'Find the house you like, talk to the tenants about their landlord and the house, and decide what works best for you and your group,' he said. 'Some groups like the freedom of private landlord housing, others prefer a more structured environment. It's a preference, and we offer an alternative.'

In the end, according to Denham, what really matters is the relationships that go on within a house, whether landlord or university.

'What's most important is that you get along with your roommates,' he said. 'If you get along with your roommates, you can deal with any shortcomings your house has.'