Second-year Student with Landlord Ambitions Relieved by State of St Andrews Flats: “I thought much more would be expected of me”

Laird Waldo, an American second-year student at the University of St Andrews has known for a long time what he wants from life. “I always saw myself as the guy with a lot of money,” he tells The Saint. “Not doing anything necessarily. Just having a lot of cash.”  

Thus it comes as no surprise that his favourite childhood game was Monopoly. “Luck doesn’t really matter in that game. It’s all about being smart with your money. And scaling. I f***ing love scaling, man.” Through tabletop fervour and an avid study of entrepreneurial self-help YouTubers, Waldo has realised that owning properties and renting them out might be the best way to go about building up his wealth. 

Still, there have been times when Waldo has felt doubt regarding this endeavour. While he takes pride in his ability to make his little sister cry when tricking her into taking the electric company card in exchange for the orange property he needs, he is unsure whether it’s wise to bring this approach into his real-world plans. 

“Even though all these entrepreneurs keep telling me to treat life like a game, other people in my life are telling me that I shouldn’t do that. Like my mother. Whatever.” 

His main concern was about the workload. “It seemed like a lot of work. People told me I would need to be on call and stuff. Like if something broke I would have to fix it. I don’t know.” 

However, after listening to what other St Andrews students have said about their flats, he feels much more comfortable committing to the landlord lifestyle. 

“This one guy was telling me that their flat had, like, tons of problems when they moved in. There was mould, the shower sucked, they had a gas leak, the door to his room broke, the kitchen fan was broken, the list goes on. None of it is fixed. And he’s still staying there! What a sucker! And he’s not the only one.”

Others claim to have lost deposits over mysterious “wear and tear”, and some were paying £900 a month for a flat where the shower is in the kitchen. 

For Waldo, this was inspiring. “It’s quite smart. It’s sort of like getting food at the airport. People know it’s bad and expensive, but they still buy it. People need a roof over their head just like they need to eat. Neat stuff.” The low bar of expectations sealed the deal on his second-semester plan.

“Next semester I’m renting out this apartment that my parents bought me to my buddy Güstav.” 

The Saint was invited to the flat which he intends to let, located on North Street. On his way in, Waldo knocked his head on the doorframe. “It’s a cosy place. That’s a selling point I’ve picked up from my research.” Similar studio flats located on North Street can be rented for around £1200 a month, but Waldo has decided he will rent it out for the sum of £1150 to his friend Güstav Sint.

“I just think it’s the right thing to do.”

With his new perception of the rental market, Waldo only looks forward to the life he is embarking on. It remains to be seen what he will use all his money for, apart from buying more properties. 

“I just know that I want to be rich. And at this point, that’s all I need to know. You know what I’m saying?” 

Sint was not reachable for comment. 

Illustration by Sara Watson