"Coca Cola donated the apartment complexes to Disney, therefore CPs should not be charged rent" 

Image: Brittany DiCologero

First things first, there is absolutely no truth to this rumor. However, even if hypothetically this rumor were true, which it most definitely is not, Disney would still need to charge rent. Say for instance you win a house in a contest. Is that house free for you to live in? Does a "donated" property come with a pre-paid lifetime supply of electricity, heat, hot water, A/C, security, maintenance and upkeep, transportation, cable, and internet? I am honestly not sure of how this rumor started, or why it continues to pop up from time to time, but if you'd like to keep others well-informed about what actually goes on in the college program, pointing out that Coca Cola donation story is entirely false is a great place to start.

"Rent is a ripoff because CPs are forced to have so many roommates" 

Image: Brittany DiCologero

Before I tackle this misconception, let's pick up where we left off from the last point. So if Coca Cola never owned the apartment complexes, and therefore never donated them to Disney, then who owns them? Well, not Disney if that's what you're thinking... the apartments are actually owned and operated by Lincoln Property Co., a nationwide chain that works in partnership with the Disney Internships and Programs team in Orlando.  

 So is rent a rip-off given the number of roommates CPs have? Well, not necessarily. Before getting into the details of how much CP rent is, and what this cost covers, I think it's important to get one thing out of the way. Disney, and Lincoln Property Company are both businesses, meaning their ultimate goal is to make a profit. If the rent was much lower, Disney and/or Lincoln Property Company would be footing the bill for the difference in price that CPs are not paying. 

 To put this into perspective, think about your town's local affordable housing complexes that are likely subsidized at least in part by some other organization, like taxes from the town, state, federal government, or other non-profit programs. If Lincoln Property Company, or any other real estate company, agreed to use their apartment complex as affordable housing, one of those other organizations would likely need to make up the difference in the bills because the real estate company is a business that works towards a profit.  

 Furthering the need for making a profit in the case of the college program is the unique relationship that Disney and Lincoln Property Company have with each other. The apartments are owned by Lincoln Property Company, however this company has almost no say in who occupies them. The company might be able to create a set of guidelines with Disney such as only allowing CPs to live there and stay the night, and only allowing the opposite sex to live together if it is one couple in a one bedroom apartment, with a marriage certificate to prove it, but for the most part, the company that actually owns the buildings has very little control over the tenants.  

Pool at the Commons
Image: Natalie Bermudez

 As a result, the rent that Lincoln Property Company charges for the CP housing complexes is slightly higher than what the company would normally charge for similar buildings in similar locations, which does make sense when you think about it. If you were a landlord, with no control over who your tenants would be, you would probably raise the rent to cover things you'd need to pay for like maintenance and upkeep, which have the potential to be more expensive since you have no idea what the people are like who live in the space. 

 Now that we've established that the base rent the company charges is indeed slightly higher than their average rates in the area, consider the fact that Disney needs to make a profit from this as well. Disney has a team of housing staff that work year round at the apartments and planning housing events who need to get paid every week too. Disney also likely needs to pay a little bit more towards the company that actually owns the building for allowing them to house interns there.  

 Before including everything else in the rent, it should already be clear that there are reasons why these apartments might be a little bit more expensive. Now on top of the premium rates charged by the two companies, consider everything that the apartments include: heat, hot water, uncapped electricity, cable, A/C, maintenance, security, internet, transportations, furniture, and kitchen supplies. Now let's look at prices, which many believe to be grossly overpriced in terms of what CPs pay to live in the apartments.  

Graduation at Chatham Square
Image: Brittany DiCologero

 For the sake of having an average estimation, and because the prices change every season, assume you are planning on living in Chatham Square, in a two bedroom, five person apartment. Your apartment was built in the year 2000, and includes two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Bedrooms and the living and dining areas come furnished, and the kitchen includes all of the necessary appliances one would need like a refrigerator and microwave, and laundry is shared among residents in communal areas. You pay $125/week, which means you pay about $438 per month, and including your roommates, your total apartment costs $2190 to live in. Two bedroom two bathroom apartments in Orlando cost anywhere between $1000 and $2000 per month, depending on the area, specific complex and what's included. For the sake of argument, assume an average two bedroom/two bathroom apartment in Orlando costs $1500/month. Now add some combination of heat, hot water, uncapped electricity, cable, A/C, maintenance, security, internet, transportations, furniture, and kitchen supplies to this $1500, with five people living in the apartment, and you're probably somewhere in the ballpark of $2000/month. Factor in a little bit extra for what we've already discussed—the fact that Disney and Lincoln Property Company are both out to make a profit, and you have the justified cost of CP housing. 

Turning in housing ID and parking permit at the end of the program
Image: Brittany DiCologero

 If you come from a part of the country where the cost of living is extremely low, it still might seem ridiculous to pay $438 per month for an apartment that has two to three people to each bedroom and bathroom, but comparatively to what the apartments cost in Orlando, and for what is included in the apartments, the cost of CP housing is not as shocking as you might expect. If the rent is still shocking however, or you're not interested in sharing a bedroom and bathroom with one or two other people, no one is forcing you to stay in CP housing. You are welcome to opt out of housing, however if you choose to do so you will need to have a car, because the public transportation in Orlando (especially in Walt Disney World) is almost non-existent, and you need a housing ID to use the CP buses.