Ultimately Fuqua opted for non-Harvard-affiliated housing, and says she is happy with the choice.

"It actually turned out pretty well. I think the value is better living off campus," Fuqua says, explaining that her apartment has a washer, dryer, two bathrooms and two parking spaces.

There are apartments for better value outside of HPRE if people choose to look, Fuqua says.

Some say that because of the high demand for Harvard-owned apartments, competition is harsh and it often becomes a matter of knowing how to work the system. Outside of HPRE's carefully laid rules, housing hopefuls bargain their lots for better location and rooming arrangements.

"A lot of people swap and bribe for apartments depending on their place in line," Zuckerman says.

In other cases, it's just luck.

Eduardo J. Dominguez '01 saw an advertisement in The Crimson for a special offering of the newly-renovated Terry Terrace apartments outside of the normal lottery, and is moving in next semester with his fiancée.

"That's a big chance just to be able to get an apartment without having to go through the lottery," Dominguez says. He applied through the lottery last spring, but was too low in the lottery to receive an apartment. Like Fuqua, he found the procedure to be very strict and not accommodating to changes.

"The first time I applied was last year. You have to fill out this incredibly long paperwork," Dominguez says. "The paperwork wasn't that hard to do, but it's tough because you have to pick what [lottery] you want to go into. You have to tell them what month you want to move in. If you don't accept that then you're out of luck".

A Square Deal

For graduate and some undergraduate students on a budget, HPRE apartments are the best deal in the Square, in terms of cost, comfort and convenience.

"It costs so much money now to rent an apartment", Dunn says. "It's very, very costly for people to move now. Maybe [people] are not moving as readily as they did before".

HPRE apartments are listed at market rates. The cost is comparable to other area apartments and undergraduate board costs, Dominguez says, depending on how many people choose to live in the apartment.

Dominguez says there are many other perks that drew him to affiliated housing. HPRE does not require a first and last month's rent or a security deposit, like private sector landlords. Rents can also be term-billed.

Comfort and convenience is also a factor. All the units are within one mile of Harvard Square and are well-maintained. Since Harvard is a non-profit, profits from rents are poured back "into the brick and mortar of the buildings", Keller says.