At Risk:
The Hidden Dangers
of Student Housing
Walk through Binghamton’s student neighborhoods on a Friday night and you’ll see a familiar scene: porches crowded, bedrooms lit up, laughter spilling into the streets. To most people, it looks like a rite of passage. But to anyone who understands building safety, what’s happening inside those old wooden houses is alarming. Students are being packed into rentals that exploit loopholes in New York State building law, and the risks could be deadly. And what I am about to tell you may apply to other cities and populations as well, so please do not think it is limited to Binghamton student housing.
On the positive side, New York has one of the most comprehensive building codes in the country. The NYS Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code governs everything from fire sprinklers to occupancy limits. But here’s the catch: the code is not retroactive.
- If a house was built in 1910 with one staircase, no sprinklers, and outdated wiring, it is still legal to rent today in that condition.
- Unless the landlord undertakes major renovations or changes the building’s use classification, the property is “grandfathered” under the older, weaker codes in place at the time of construction.
- Local governments like Binghamton can adopt stricter ordinances, but in practice, enforcement is inconsistent and often complaint-driven.
The result is that decades-old structures are used to house today’s students under rules that no longer reflect modern life-safety standards.
Students at SUNY Binghamton describe being “packed like sardines” into houses that were never meant for more than a single family. Bedrooms are carved out of living rooms, dining rooms, and even basements. It’s not unusual for six, eight, or even ten students to share a wood-frame home built for four. These houses:
- Often lack sprinkler systems (which New York requires for new multiple dwellings).
- Have narrow stairways that don’t meet modern egress requirements.
- Depend on outdated wiring that can’t handle multiple laptops, appliances, and space heaters.
- Feature basement or attic bedrooms with no proper fire escape windows.
When codes don’t catch up, tragedy does. This isn’t theoretical. New York has seen devastating fires in student housing:
- In 2009, a fire near Marist College killed three students in an off-campus house that lacked sprinklers.
- In 2012, a student rental fire in Ithaca injured multiple Cornell students living in overcrowded conditions.
- The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that off-campus housing accounts for 87% of college student fire deaths nationwide.
Yet despite these tragedies, Binghamton’s student housing market continues to expand in old stock homes that would not pass inspection if built new today.
It is the policy gaps that put students at risk. In Binghamton, for example, here are some key loopholes that leave students vulnerable:
- Non-retroactive building codes
Landlords aren’t required to upgrade old homes to today’s fire and life-safety standards. - Occupancy enforcement gaps
Binghamton technically limits how many unrelated individuals can live in a home, but landlords may skirt the law by signing multiple separate leases or simply ignoring limits. - Lack of systematic rental inspections
Rental inspections are often triggered by complaints, not scheduled regularly. Students, afraid of eviction, rarely complain. - Conversion of single-family homes
Houses meant for a single family are informally chopped into multi-tenant units, often without permits. - Weak fire safety in existing housing
No requirement to retrofit sprinklers, fire doors, or second stairways in older structures, even if dozens of students live inside.
If New York is serious about protecting its students, several policy changes are needed:
- Phase-In Retrofits for High-Density Rentals
Any rental housing more than 4 unrelated occupants should be required to add sprinklers, modern alarms, and adequate egress, even if the house is old. - Mandatory Rental Inspections in College Towns
Cities like Binghamton should adopt proactive, scheduled inspections of student rentals rather than relying on complaints. - Enforce Occupancy Limits
Crack down on landlords who illegally pack students into unsafe conditions. Use fines, loss of rental licenses, and public reporting. - Transparency for Students and Parents
Require landlords to disclose the last inspection date and results before a lease is signed. - Statewide Housing Registry
New York could create a statewide database of off-campus student rentals, tracking inspections and violations to help families make informed choices.