The apartment vacancy rate in the city of Davis dropped to 0.3 percent this fall, and rents rose by an average of 8.3 percent, according to a survey by the campus.

The apartment vacancy rate matches that of 1999 as one of the least favorable for tenants over the last 11 years. And the rental-rate increase -- calculated by considering the percentage change for each type of rental unit and the proportion of each type of rental unit among all rental stock -- is the highest since 1991, when it rose by 8.8 percent.

The average monthly rent for unfurnished two-bedroom apartments, which account for about 46 percent of the apartment units in the survey, rose 8.55 percent to $901.

The vacancy and rental-rate survey is conducted to provide the campus and the city of Davis with information for future planning. The results of the 26th annual one come as the campus is aggressively proceeding with plans to add thousands of beds on campus.

John Meyer, vice chancellor for Resource Management and Planning, and Patricia Kearney, executive director of Student Housing, say the findings reinforce campus efforts both to build housing now and to include plans for additional housing in the Long Range Development Plan.

The Student Housing Office surveyed 183 apartment complexes with five or more rental units in October and November; 176 responded. Out of a total of 8,642 units, just 25 were vacant. The seven complexes that did not respond to the survey have a total of about 88 units.

Economists and planners consider a vacancy rate of 5 percent as the ideal balance between the interests of landlord and tenant, the report said.

Among 10 types of rental units, the highest average rent increases were 12.64 percent for unfurnished four-bedroom apartments (to $1,764 a month) and 8.62 percent for unfurnished three-bedroom apartments ($1,323). Only unfurnished studios and furnished two-bedroom apartments had an average rental-rate increase below 5 percent ($598 and $837, respectively), and the only decrease, at -9.73 percent, was for furnished studios ($575).

"While we recognize that many factors contribute to rental increases, the campus and its student body appreciate those landlords who are striving to keep increases at a reasonable level," Kearney says.

"Student Affairs and the Associated Students of UC Davis will continue to work together to understand the factors involved in rental-rate increases and to represent students' interests in keeping apartment housing affordable," she adds.

UC Davis had a total of 27,292 undergraduate, graduate and professional students in fall 2001, an increase of 1,198 from the previous fall. On-campus enrollment this fall was 25,775 and is expected to average 24,950 over the three academic quarters.

UC Davis, which currently houses 5,300 students, expects to have room to accommodate next year's estimated increase of 138 in freshmen enrollment to 4,550. For fall 2002, total enrollment is projected to grow by 1,102 students to 28,394. On-campus fall enrollment of 26,877 is expected to average 25,991 over the three academic quarters.

While the long-term planning process for the campus is considering options to provide an additional 4,000 beds for students, in the near term the university is proceeding with plans for three housing projects to open fall 2003 through fall 2005.

The first project, scheduled to open in fall 2003, would accommodate up to 400 first-year students in three new dormitories on campus in the existing Segundo residential area southeast of the intersection of Russell Boulevard and La Rue Road. It also calls for a new dining commons in the same area.

A committee has recently been appointed to help plan another project targeted for opening in 2004. The project, intended to be a partnership with a private developer and owner, would be built on a site currently used for greenhouses south of Orchard Road and just north of The Colleges housing complex.

The third project, which would add at least 500 beds by fall 2005 and an additional 500 to 700 by fall 2007, is being planned for an intramural field and temporary parking lot north of La Rue Road and south of the Tercero dining commons. The project also would include an expansion of the dining facilities.

The survey excludes those apartments that require an income eligibility test to qualify low-income residents for reduced rent, because students are not eligible for these units. There are 1,024 such units in the city of Davis.