2C THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
APARTMENT GUIDE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16. 2005
Moving into an apartment requires patience
BY BAILEY DERUS
correspondent@kansan.com
KANSAN CORRESPONDENT
If you are moving into your first apartment, the last thing on your mind is who owns the place. Once you get the lease signed — after checking it with Legal Services for Students — you would probably expect to never see the landlord again. Unless your rent is late.
Here is the catch. Things can, and usually do, go wrong in apartments. The bathtub might not work, the toilet might not flush or the dryer might catch your clothes on fire. It has happened.
While landlords are required by landlord/tenant laws to keep the basics, such as the toilet and sinks, in working order. If they know you and recognize you, they're more likely to make sure it gets done efficiently.
"Keep an open line of communication," Michelle Luna, Shawnee sophomore, said. "If they like you, they're more likely to help you when something goes wrong."
When moving in to an apartment in August, remember, that is the time when most college students are moving in. That's usually when things go wrong. You find out the closet doors do not stay on the track or the dishwasher is
not actually washing dishes.
In the first few weeks, after filling out a repair request form, there is one thing you must do: Be patient.
If you find a few things wrong in the apartment, there are probably a handful of things that need to be fixed in every other apartment. As long as the repair wait is not keeping you from being clean, it will be fine if it takes a few days.
mays.
"I would report problems that come up as soon as possible," said Nguyet Nguyen, Shawnee senior.
According to the Off-Campus Living Resource Center, Lawrence has a list of requirements that deem
an apartment or house livable. The list includes a working lock, stairs in good condition and a railing wherever there are more than four stairs and a water heater cannot be in a bathroom or bedroom. Overall, there are about 50 guidelines set by the city of Lawrence.
The resource center also recommends creating a "Move-in Checklist," which should be completed within a week after you move in. Take note of damages already present in the apartment so you do not lose part or all of your security deposit after you move out. Taking pictures of especially significant
damages is recommended.
In keeping communication with the management company with which you have a lease,you are entitled to contact information of both the manager of the specific apartment and the owner of the company. It is a good idea to have a list of contact numbers for specific incidents that occur outside of business hours,such as a locksmith or plumber.
plumber. Check out more information from the resource center about leases, renters insurance and for a list of housing and building codes.
Edited by Kendall Dix
House of headaches Legal Services for Students provides help for new tenants
By CHARISSA YOUNG correspondent@kansan.com
KANSAN CORRESPONDENT
Imagine living in an apartment for weeks with stinking, sooping-wet carpet caused by a sewer backup. You complain to the apartment's management, and a maintenance man arrives days later to clean up with just a house fan and a can of Lysol.
Delia Kimbrell, Wichita junior faced this situation last year while living in North Wind Apartments located on Second and Michigan streets. Unsatisfied with the apartment's maintenance job, she requested for a professional to clean her carpet. The apartment complex sent her the bill.
"My roommate and I were just sophomores, and this was the first time we'd lived on our own like that. We didn't know what to do," she said.
Kimbrell did not think she should be the one to pay the bill. After seeking advice from both KU Legal Services for Students and her roommate's cousin, who was a lawyer, Kimbrell said that she learned that North Winds was not providing the
safe, sanitary environment that the Landlord and Tenant Act guaranteed her. Kimbrell said that she was able to get North Winds to admit its fault and pay the bill, but she did not receive all of her deposit money back upon moving out. Kimbrell said she left the apartment cleaner than when she first moved in.
"We left it alone. Normally, I'm not a person to give up, but I was exhausted. It was a never-ending nightmare with these people," Kimbrell said.
Jo Hardesty, director of Legal Services for Students, said that landlord-tenant complaints constituted about 15 to 20 percent of its business. Among the most common problems students have are not receiving security deposit refunds, maintenance issues and breaking leases, Hardesty said.
Diana Garcia, Lewisville, Texas,
junior, always asks her mother,
a commercial realtor, to look for
restrictions or weird charges in her
leases before she signs them. By
closely reading her lease, Garcia said
that she and her roommate found a
questionable "environmental fee" in
Photo illustrations by Janette Crawford/KANSAN Casey Thornburgh, Lenexa junior, celebrates after signing her lease at the Eck Real Estate Services management office, 915 Louisiana St. Eck Real Estate manages 150 housing units in Lawrence.
one lease for lawn maintenance and ambiguous phrasing about who was responsible for damages to the walls in the house.
Hardesty knows students often want to sign a lease on the spot because they are excited or the landlord is making a hard sell, she said, but she recommends that all students carefully read their leases before signing.
"I know it's been said before, but it's always better to be safe than sorry," she said.
Students can make appointments in with Legal Services for Students to discuss personal tenant-landlord problems. Because Legal Services for Students is funded by a portion of the required campus fees, all students are entitled to free services.
Before you sign your lease
See the actual residence, not just the model housing. You have a right to see the condition of the residence. If the residence is currently occupied, the landlord only needs to notify the current tenants before being able to show it to you.
Make sure application fees are refundable if you don't end up signing a lease with the place in question. If you do sign the lease, see that the application fee applies to the first month's rent.
- Before signing a lease, take a copy of it, and ask for the "Rules and Regulations," usually a 10-page document in addition to the lease. Often when you sign a lease, you are agreeing to these rules and regulations, but the document is not always included.
- Look for an automatic renewal clause in the lease. If there is one, you must let your landlord know by the date specified in the lease, or the lease will be automatically renewed for the following year.
◆ Check the sublease policy. Many leases will not allow you to sublease your residence
without the landlord's permission. Keep in mind that when someone subleases from you, you're responsible for the person living there unless that person is put onto a new lease.
Choose your roommates wisely and discuss noise, guests and food issues before moving in together. Most contracts are joint leases, meaning you are responsible for your roommates if they don't pay rent. Some landlords offer separate leases, such as Jefferson Commons, but be aware that the landlord can replace tenants at their choosing.
♦ Really do the check-in routine.
Really do the cracks in Photograph or videotape any damages in the residence prior to moving in. By documenting these damages, you can prevent being charged for those damages when you move out.
- Remember: Always ask to negotiate the details of a lease, regardless if you're working with mom-and-pop landlords or a complex's management.
Source for Harris
Director of KU Legal Services for Students
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