COVID-19 has introduced new challenges to the roommate matching process. According to respondents of a recent survey conducted by Student Housing Business, there are several new layers of complexity to an already challenging process.
Student Housing Business recently conducted a survey among student housing professionals regarding changes roommate matching processes in the face of the 2020 pandemic. In the results, they found added complexity to the already challenging process of roommate matching.
- Social distancing makes it difficult to facilitate traditional meet-and-greet events to introduce potential roommates.
- Students are concerned about choosing roommate with a similar level of comfort and adherence to safety guidelines.
- More students would prefer to rent single rooms, foregoing roommates.
The survey also asked about current matching procedures with COVID-19 aside, as well as what student housing professionals are looking for as roommate matching solutions.
Some respondents noted that offering a technical solution to facilitate self-selection by residents “removes management from liability and permits better confidential self-selection.”
One executive commented, “We have all had residents who give one set of answers if they came with parents, for example, and another if they completed a survey on their own. The technology also eliminates this as well as the need for get-togethers as it can be completed virtually.”
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