Who: Through my interviews I did find students who attended the University of Florida who accepted and were fine with paying for summer months. These students were ones who were taking summer classes, those who lived in on campus dorms, and those with enough social connections to consistently get sub-leases. I would define these students as ones who acknowledge the current system and find ways to either beat it or cope with it successfully.
What: My need specifically addresses overpaying for rent, but this need can definitely more broadly be defined as the need to feel fairness in a paying arrangement or the need to be financially responsible and empowered.
Why: Yes, i think there is a big difference between those inside the boundary and those outside. From the people who I interviewed, those who controlled their finances more felt more upset and personally affected by overpaying whereas students whose parents took care of the finances did not nearly care as much. One group sees it as just something you must accept whereas the other group sees it as an unnecessary evil they would love to change.
Inside the boundary Outside the Boundary:
Who: UF and Santa Fe students who On campus students, students taking
do not want to pay for summer months summer classes, those who get sub-
they are not utilizing. leases.
What: The need to feel empowerment Accepting certain situations. and save on your finances during the
college years.
Why: Students who are on a tight budget Landlords have to get money for all 12
see two or three months rent as a huge expense months or it is unfair to them to lease.
they probably would have to work or take a loan
to pay off.
Again, great idea! I am running into this problem right now because I need to sublease my house for summer but can't find anybody. If I had something like this, I would be able to sublease it much easier. I would also be able to plan the sublease out a long time ago so I wouldn't be doing it last minute.
ReplyDeleteI think this idea does fit a clear need for students who may not choose to stay in Gainesville for the summer. Paying the entire twelve months for these individuals does not make sense if there was a way to sub-lease the summer months of inactivity, and therefore, I agree with your opportunity and find it a worthy solution to disrupt the market.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your placement of potential customers and non-customers in relation to the boundary. Landlords will definitely be opposed to this an on campus students as well, though most on-campus students eventually move off campus. The amount of people that still fall inside the boundary is promising though, especially with how poor must college students are it will leave many of them begging for an opportunity to pay for shorter leases.
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