The possibilities for Residential Rental lots are near endless. You can make shared housing where you rent out rooms, you can make apartments, you can make retirement homes, you can make dorms...Speaking of dorms...With the pack introducing such a new lot type, will it be replacing University Housing lot type in your game?Let's look at pros and cons for both lot types.Residential RentalPros:Allows more than 8 playable sims to live on the same lot.Great for rotational players with a lot of sims.Access to build mode and stoves and grills.Relaxed moving requirements: no need to immediately move out when not studying a term.Cons:Separate bills (rent) (or turn it into a pro by setting the rent to 0).Empty spots aren't filled with roommates. Even when you manually get roommates, they mostly won't be students.No free maid or repair service.University HousingPros:No matter how many playable sims live there, the game fills it with university roommates so up to 10 sims live there.Great for non-rotational players (I guess) and rotational players with not many sims.Free maid on weekends and free repair service when called.No separate bills: the cost is included in the tuition.Cons:Must be a student to live there: your sim must immediately move out when they are not studying the term and is given some time to pack up their things.No access to build mode (at least as long as it's occupied).No stoves and grills allowed.And more that didn't come to my mind to list off (feel free to suggest them in discussion).So, will you be replacing University Housing with Residential Rentals or keeping the University Housing?Choose your dorms!

This is an interesting question that suddenly popped up.As a rotational player, Residential Rentals allow me to more easily move the sims out and then not hop through some loopholes to have them stay there while I rotate away. Plus it allows me to move multiple sims there. With University Housing, I have to move one sim there, then rotate back to the family they moved out from, and move the other sim there.Plus I can rebuild my own dorm experiences there!Still, University Housing is its own game mechanic of itself. Plus it fills the empty playable-sim slots with roommates...I guess I do Residential Rental in some saves and University Housing in other saves...

I think both and there's some flexibility in it.For storytelling, I usually my my freshmen sims stay in university housing (dorms) just so they can get to meet other sims. Because the university housing basically pairs them with a roommate and prefills all the other bedrooms. Now once my sim has completed a few courses, maybe has a boyfriend/girlfriend or wants to be able to cook, I plan to move them off campus to a residential rental to finish off and graduate.

I tried to have my young group of students live in campus housing, but they were consistently late for class, it was a nightmare. I never really had this problem when they lived in the dorm. (Okay, upon occasion one Sim might drag their feet.) It's dorm all the way for any future kids. I did have my most recent college graduate pursue his degree from home, but then again, he was a very young Teen, who happens to be a genius and managed to graduate early. His parents (having lived on campus as older teens) were very reluctant to expose their thirteen-year-old to the antics of older Sims.

Mine is a bit complicated.I created a prep-school dorm that I use for my high-school students to rotate through, but it is also a rotation point for them to go on to Uni as well. It's really a residential lot that is located in Copperdale.I have six students that attend high school until they meet the requirements I set for their Uni majors.I send them to Uni in groups of three, for two terms, and then I send them back to the prep dorm and rotate in the next three for two terms. Usually alternating between Britechester and Foxbury.Spoiler (Highlight to read)My students usually spends two terms on Campus in my edited dorm...https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/f116/cireking213/09_22_20_11_35_46_AM.png?width=1920&height=1080&fit=boundsAnd two terms off campus in my favorite custom dorm.https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/f116/cireking213/10-10-21_2-05-07_PM.png?width=1920&height=1080&fit=boundsWhen a trio comes back from Uni, I don't usually send the other three automatically. I have them visit their parents or all take a vacation to Komorebi, Batuu amusement park, or Sulani. https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/f116/cireking213/11_26_20_9_48_09_PM.pngMy students usually spends two terms on Campus in my edited dorm...https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/f116/cireking213/09_22_20_11_35_46_AM.png?width=1920&height=1080&fit=boundsAnd two terms off campus in my favorite custom dorm.https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/f116/cireking213/10-10-21_2-05-07_PM.png?width=1920&height=1080&fit=boundsWhen a trio comes back from Uni, I don't usually send the other three automatically. I have them visit their parents or all take a vacation to Komorebi, Batuu amusement park, or Sulani. https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/f116/cireking213/11_26_20_9_48_09_PM.pngSo where do Rental Units come in?I am considering having my sims lighten up on course loads and going to Uni for three years instead of two.First year: On Campus dormSecond Year: Off Campus dormThird Year: On Campus apartment.You see, the problem I have with Uni, over all the terms, is a lot of their dormie friends, sims that I've completely made over, tend to leave the dorm between terms and are hardly ever seen again. I have to group them in clubs and make the hang out at the student commons just to see them, or invite the club to the dorm.If their final year is in this soon-to-be apartment building, I can assign all my favorite dormies to the other rooms.And I can also have a change of pace from the usual dorm game play for their final year.

"BreeSasha;c-18328126" wrote:I think both and there's some flexibility in it.For storytelling, I usually my my freshmen sims stay in university housing (dorms) just so they can get to meet other sims. Because the university housing basically pairs them with a roommate and prefills all the other bedrooms. Now once my sim has completed a few courses, maybe has a boyfriend/girlfriend or wants to be able to cook, I plan to move them off campus to a residential rental to finish off and graduate. This. Also sims with dependants/family/pets/mature students.I'm hoping that DU combined with FR will add a "Students Only" rule.

Forum Discussion

EgonVM

Seasoned Ace

2 years ago

Choose Your Dorms: Residential Rental vs University Housing

The possibilities for Residential Rental lots are near endless. You can make shared housing where you rent out rooms, you can make apartments, you can make retirement homes, you can make dorms...

Speaking of dorms...

With the pack introducing such a new lot type, will it be replacing University Housing lot type in your game?
Let's look at pros and cons for both lot types.

Residential Rental
- Pros:
  - Allows more than 8 playable sims to live on the same lot.
  - Great for rotational players with a lot of sims.
  - Access to build mode and stoves and grills.
  - Relaxed moving requirements: no need to immediately move out when not studying a term.
- Cons:
  - Separate bills (rent) (or turn it into a pro by setting the rent to 0).
  - Empty spots aren't filled with roommates. Even when you manually get roommates, they mostly won't be students.
  - No free maid or repair service.
University Housing
- Pros:
  - No matter how many playable sims live there, the game fills it with university roommates so up to 10 sims live there.
  - Great for non-rotational players (I guess) and rotational players with not many sims.
  - Free maid on weekends and free repair service when called.
  - No separate bills: the cost is included in the tuition.
- Cons:
  - Must be a student to live there: your sim must immediately move out when they are not studying the term and is given some time to pack up their things.
  - No access to build mode (at least as long as it's occupied).
  - No stoves and grills allowed.

And more that didn't come to my mind to list off (feel free to suggest them in discussion).

So, will you be replacing University Housing with Residential Rentals or keeping the University Housing?
Choose your dorms!

expansion packs

16 Replies

Beatreject12
2 years ago
"DaWaterRat;c-18328277" wrote:
Without having played with For Rent, I think I'm going leave the tower top dorms as dorms/university housing, and then change the two "houses" on the campuses to Residential Rentals (and re-build them) and then just figure out a way to limit them to University students (Probably by just seeding them with Young Adults I've enrolled in University.)

Since I only play with University once every few generations, taking the time to set it up before I use it won't be too big of a deal (probably.)

This is exactly what I'm doing--already plopped down townhouses on those lots in my template save! Briny Tower, Drake Hall etc will all stay dorms.
mightyspritesims
Legend
2 years ago
Another "pro" in the dorms is the generation of interesting dorm-mates. You feel you actually went to college with someone :)

I use both dorms and residential currently-- some students need to live at home with their families. I'm sure I'll continue doing that. Also, the off campus student house has its appeal too
catloverplayer
Legend
2 years ago
Universal Dorms though I rarely play the University Feature.
EgonVM
Seasoned Ace
2 years ago
Welp, thanks to the Q&A, I hope this made this decision easier.

You can't build Residential Rental lots on penthouses. My original plan was to remake those penthouse lots into Residential Rental lots. I guess I'm happy I didn't even begin.

So then, University Housing stays in all of my saves! I guess I can make these two non-penthouse University Housing lots into Residential Rental lots...
leucosiax
Seasoned Ace
2 years ago
i switched all student housing to regular lots when I realized my game loads faster with not needing to spawn endless npc roommates.
EgonVM
Seasoned Ace
2 years ago
"LeucosiaX;c-18330648" wrote:
i switched all student housing to regular lots when I realized my game loads faster with not needing to spawn endless npc roommates.

That is a valid option too...

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Forum Discussion

Choose Your Dorms: Residential Rental vs University Housing

What happened in your game today, by ONE picture?

So what you think the surprise update will be ?

What are your plans for the Businesses and Hobbies EP?

Self-Discovery - An Attempt to Understand Tuning Files

Recommend Sims4?