Hundreds of apartments near local universities remain empty weeks after move-in

Hundreds of apartments near colleges and universities across the Boston area are sitting empty weeks after fall semester move-in.

Real estate experts believe the lingering vacancies prove a trend they predicted of a noticeable decline in international student enrollment.

Schools won’t be releasing annual enrollment data until later in the fall.

Local realtors told Boston 25 News they don’t need to see the data to confirm what they’ve been seeing and hearing on the ground.

“I’ve been in the industry for 3 decades. I’ve never had this level of anxiety from an international perspective,” said Dina Confalone, realtor with Gibson Sotheby’s International.

Confalone said international students have been reconsidering their studies in the U.S. due to uncertainty under the Trump administration.

“I have a property in Kendall Square that has literally sat on the market for the past 45 days now. It’s been a struggle,” said Confalone.

Other real estate experts said new visa processing protocols and a backlog in visa appointments have also been discouraging students from other countries.

“They’re saying to a program they got into, I don’t want to start this program not knowing if I can have my visa renewed,” said Brett Star, principal broker at Star Residential. “Nobody is going to come and start a three, four, five-year degree program without some stability.”

Star said incentives have been offered to brokers to bring clients to these listings.

However, he said the dip in international student interest continues to make it tough to fill the vacancies.

The number of available apartments near Symphony Hall, steps away from Northeastern University, has more than doubled compared to last year.

More than 70 apartments are also sitting empty in nearby Mission Hill.

“If it stays this way, I hope prices come down. Maybe next year rent will be a little bit cheaper!,” said Gary Winther, a Mission Hill resident & Wentworth student.

Overall, rent prices have not gone down because of the vacancies.

Boston still has one of the lowest vacancy rates in the nation at 1.74 %, according to real estate technology firm Boston Pads.

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