Using data to help Boston students find safe, reliable housing
Boston has over 96,000 undergraduate and 65,000 graduate students. More than half of undergrads live off-campus, and most of those aren't living at home. Unlike students in dorms, off-campus renters don't get the same level of security services or guaranteed living conditions. Many deal with difficult landlords or unsafe neighborhoods without really knowing what they're getting into.
We're building a tool that puts all the important information in one place. By looking at building violations, student housing patterns, and neighborhood data, we want to help students figure out which areas and landlords are actually reliable.
Can we identify which landlords and neighborhoods have the worst violation records?
We're pulling together housing violations, property records, and student housing info to see the full picture of what off-campus living actually looks like.
Using machine learning (K-means clustering) to group neighborhoods and landlords based on their violation histories and how many students live there.
Interactive maps that show where violations are concentrated, with filters so you can look at specific types of problems.
Reviewing data from 2020-2024
Where the data comes from:
Tools we're using:
As students, we know how hard it is to find good off-campus housing. The rental market can feel pretty hopeless and you don't really know what you're getting into until you've already signed a lease.
This project is about creating some transparency. If we can show which landlords have consistent problems, or which neighborhoods have the most violations, students can make better decisions. Hopefully this will push landlords to take better care of their properties.
Down the road, we'd also like to talk to students directly about their experiences and understand why people choose off-campus housing despite the challenges, and what could make it better.