Student Housing
Page 4 University Daily Kansan, June 24, 1982
Moving into a new apartment can be dangerous to your health
By JOHN SCARFFE
Columnist
This dreaded process, called moving in, is a traumatic experience surpassed only by essay finals in its ability to cause students permanent damage. Those who move into dorms or fraternal housing must haul belongings up never-ending flights of stairs and cram them into half a room, while roommate and hallmate problems lurk in the future.
BUT, STUDENTS who move into privately owned housing must face even greater problems in finding a place to live.
Moving out of your old apartment can be deadly for your wallet
By PAT QUINN
Columnist
Changing residences is a game of many mishaps. With planning, however, many of the hassles associated with moving can be avoided or eliminated. By following a few common sense rules you will find it is possible to expedite your move and keep the mistakes to a minimum.
IT IS IMPORTANT to remember that moving out of a rental property represents the termination of a legal relationship between you and your landlord. Several weeks before moving day, inform your landlord of your intention to leave and determine what is expected of you before vacating the premises. Arrange for the manager or landlord to pre-inspect your apartment and provide you with a written list itemizing necessary work and repairs.
If you need the services of a professional mover, start to shop around early. Call several companies and obtain cost estimates. Compare the levels of liability each company will assume for the value of your goods, and what they charge to assume additional liability. Finally, compare the costs you will be able to pick up and deliver your goods in accordance with your moving schedule.
START TO MAIL change-of-address cards about a month before you move. In particular, make sure that you provide all your creditors with your new address. A week or so before moving day file a change-of-address form with the local post office. As a last step, ask a neighbor to forward any mail that arrives at your old address.
Being at that makes it very easy for people to find you, so it is a good idea to start setting accounts at the same time. Call all the local utilities and set a date for termination of services. Pay off any outstanding balances and ensure that they know where to mail any deposited checks or money orders. Ensure all your local debts are settled, such as doctor or dentist bills.
IT IS PARTICULARLY important that you settle up with your landlord. Do not assume that you can use your security deposit for your last month's rent. You cannot. And if you try, the landlord can keep the deposit and sue you for the rent.
Once you have settled your finances, it is time to visit the bank. Close out your accounts and make certain the bank knows where to send your last statement. Use excess cash to purchase traveler’s checks. It is an excellent way to protect your funds until you can get another bank account. If you have a bank credit card such as Visa or Mastercard, be aware of the fact that moving out of state can change the interest rate you are charged on your balance.
CLEANING THE old apartment is no fun, but there isn't any way to get around it. Do as much housecleaning as possible before the movers arrive. Pay any attention to the kitchen and bathroom. In the future you may need a reference from that soon-to-be-ex-landlord.
Collect all the items you intend to transport yourself in a central location. Pack light, but do not forget that you may be living out of your suitcase at your new residence until the moving van can attach to you. Keeping that in mind, when you arrive at home, come pots, pans and tableware with the clothes.
DON'T LEET the movers leave until you have obtained a signed copy of the inventory, which is essential to any claim you may later file in the event of damage to your belongings. If you are moving a washing machine, make sure that the movers service it before loading it. If they fail to load, the movers will throw their clothes below freezing, it will reduce your Maytag to $800 worth of scrap metal.
THE INSPECTION should be the last thing you need to do before departure. Once it is completed the landlord should either refund your deposit or provide you with a signed statement indicating the amount due you. In the event you are liable for damage to the property he should provide you with a statement of the amount involved. You should be sure you obtain the inspection results in writing. With any luck you should now be able to throw the cat in the trunk and hit the road.
When the movers arrive, make absolutely certain that your goods are inspected and delivered on time.
signing a lease or taking possession of a rental, they enter into a specific, legally binding relationship with a landlord. Because this is a serious matter, they should be made long before actually moving.
The once movers are gone you can finish the housecleaning. Clean the floors, remove all trash from the premises and pack your personal belongings in the car. Make sure you have completed all the items on your landlord's list before you call him for the final inspection.
Secondly, be aware of the fact that there is a helping hand available to you. The Lawrence Consumer Affairs Association publishes several handbooks that can make the job of arranging a home service easier. "The Rental Housing Handbook" and the "Student Guide to Law" are all loaded with information that can help you organize your time and understand your rights and responsibilities when dealing with landlords and moving companies. The association's office is at 100 Vernon St. The association's free馆. Pick them up when start to plan. They make getting out of a town a little easier.
Believe it or not, there are a couple of bright spots amid all this trial and tribulation. The first is the fact that in many cases the cost of a move is tax-deductible. For this reason it is a good idea to have the driver walk away even remotely related to the move. This includes the cost of gas and lodging during your trip.
Realistic housing must be selected thoughtfully and carefully instead of taking the first apartment available or depending on friends' advice. Long-range finances should be considered to ensure that the rent can be paid all year. Monthly expenses usually are for utilities, telephone, food, medical expenses, books, supplies, clothing and entertainment.
DEPENDABLE ROOMMATES also should be carefully selected. If some tenants sharing an apartment fail to pay their rent, the other tenants are liable for the entire rental amount. Also, two students who "get along pretty well" are not necessarily capable when living together. Discuss studying, sleeping, smoking and dating habits thoroughly with all prospective roommates and make arrangements about cooking and household chores.
After settling these matters and finding a prospective apartment, examine it thoroughly. Check outside door locks, electrical wiring and outlets, fire exits, storm windows and screens. Flush the toilet and check kitchen and bathroom plumbing to be sure the water is hot and flowing freely. Next, carefully examine the condition of any appliances or furniture and look in cupboards and dark corners and around baseboards for evidence of cockroaches.
THEN FIND OUT who is responsible for paying the utilities and the average monthly cost of gas, electricity and water. Check heating and air conditioning for control within the apartment. Also check for adequate ventilation and circulation.
If the condition of the place seems excellent, read and agree to the lease and house rules. Whether a lease is oral or written, it is legally binding and both landlord and tenant are subject to state laws. It is best to have the lease in writing so less confusion results later over details. A lease is also generally easy to understaff if it is in person at the landlord or the Consumer Affairs Office, 89 Vermont St., to explain difficult or unusual statements.
IF ANY of these rules or provisions seem unfair or impossible to abide by, the tenants should not move in unless changes are negotiated. In such cases,ude, be sure they appear in writing in the lease.
WHEN READING the lease, make sure it specifies when the tenant must move out, and then plan to stay until that date. Penalties for breaking a lease are costly. The name and address of landlord and manager should also appear on the lease as well as a clear description of the premises, amount of rent, penalties for breaking the lease, subleasing arrangements, a description of utility responsibilities and responsibilities for maintaining the premises.
The lease must also include a list of any special house rules or regulations applied equally to all tenants. The landlord has the legal right to such regulations as long as the tenant can understand them and comply. They also must be designed to protect the landlord's property or benefit the tenants.
The amount and refounding conditions of any required deposits also should be mentioned in the lease. Cleaning deposits, which some landlords have, are included in the lease for cleaning and re-painting between tenants. On the
AFTER THE LEASE has been signed and the tenants are ready to move, place all occupants' names on the mail box. The mailman won't notify the address to the tenant until this has been done.
other hand, security deposits are refundable when the housing has not been damaged apart from normal wear and tear and when all obligations under the terms of the lease have been met.
While doing the inventory, if things are found that need repair, write the landlord's repair list and when it will be completed on the inventory. Then both the landlord and the tenant should sign
on ms ms243 arrange for the utilities. Contact Southwestern Bell as soon as possible to set up an installation date for a phone so phone service will be available when needed. Then have the gas hooked up, the meter read and billing put in the tenants' names by calling Kansas Public Service. For electricity service and billing, call the Kansas Power and Light Co., and for water billing, call the Lawrence Water and Sewer Office.
THE NEXT STEP is a detailed, written inventory that Kansas law requires within five days after moving. This list describing the condition of the premises prevents the landlord from withholding damage for damages that are nonexistent or made by previous tenants. Don't sign a checklist compiled solely by the landlord. The tenants should check themselves.
WHEN THE INVENTORY is finished, the only business left is lugging the boxes, sacks, suitcases, brooms and wastebaskets into the rooms. Then the students can fit everything in and finally relax in their haven away from the hassles and exams of college life.
Tenant rights and responsibilities
Bv JOE BARTOS
Editorial Editor
Although rental terms are mainly defined by a lease, they are still subject to state laws. In Kansas, the landlord tenant relationship is primarily governed by the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. No terms of a lease may violate this act.
TENANT DUTIES
The first duty of a tenant, of course, is to pay rent on time. If rent is not paid when due, the landlord may deliver a three-day notice to evict. If the tenant makes payment within three days, the landlord accepts payment after that period without reservation, the lease continues.
The tenant must keep the rental area as clean and as safe as the condition of the premises allows. This includes removal of clutter, maintenance of plumbing and other facilities.
The tenant must use the rental areas in a proper manner, or be liable for damages. This means reasonable use of all electrical, plumbing, heating and cooling systems, and other parts of the premises by any person, animal or pet in the rental area with the permission of the tenant. It also means that tenants are not allowed to work in his dwelling such as attaching shelves to a wall or tacking down a carpet with the landlord's permission.
The tenant must not engage in conduct that disturbs the quiet and peaceful enjoyment of life.
LANDLORD DUTIES
The first duty of a landlord, obviously, is to
deliver possession of the premises to the tenant as agreed in the lease. If the landlord fails to do so, no rent is due until the premises are delivered, and upon five days written notice, the tenant may terminate the lease and recover the security deposit. In addition, the tenant may claim damages and receive one and one-half month's rent payment or one and one-half times actual damages, whichever is greater.
The landlord must maintain your dwelling in compliance with city housing codes affecting health and safety. The Lawrence housing code includes standards for the condition and use of dwellings, as well as briefly defining the duties of the occupant.
There are specific standards for each room of the dwelling, as well as the general condition of the rental area. A copy of the City of Lawrence Housing Code is available at the city offices, or at the Lawrence Consumer Affairs Association.
The landlord must maintain in good condition all common areas such as parking lots, laundry rooms and all electrical, plumbing and heating units. The landlord must also ensure that the ground-bases trash receptacles and running hot and cold water NONCOMPLIANCE
If a tenant feels that his or her rights according to state law or a lease have been violated, then he or she has a number of possible responses.
The first option, which should always be used before all others, is to contact the landlord and give written notice of noncompliance with the lease or state law. If there is no other complaint, he or she fails to either remedy the problem or make a good faith effort to do so, then the
lease will terminate on the rent due date 30 days after the notice was first received.
If damages occurred, the tenant may call the landlord to court. Claims for actual damages up to $300 will be handled by small businesses but higher damages go to the district level.
A third course of action available to a tenant when a violation has occurred is to ask for an inspection by the City's Minimum Structures Inspector. If the inspection reveals a violation of City code, then the Inspector will notify the landlord and request a remedy. If the landlord does not notify the Inspector of plans to take action to solve the problem and then do so within 14 days, the landlord can be fined and the building may be condemned.
While this is usually an effective means to initiate repairs, it should be used with care, because if the Inspector condemns the building or fences, or the paint, the tenant must leave within three days.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
A less risky method for resolving a landlord tenant dispute would be to bring your grievance to the attention of the Consumer Affairs office.
While the Kansas's report on Student Housing covers a few important areas of the topic, it should by no means be taken as legal advice nor as a comprehensive picture of all matters pertaining to housing and the law. For more information about your rights and responsibilities as a landlord or tenant, or other matters related to student housing, visit the Consumer Affairs Office at 819 Vermont or at Room 104 of the Kansas Union should be contacted.
Roaches make a pest of themselves
By ALVIN A. REID
Columnist
YECH! Those people have roaches! How disgusting!
Can't you just hear your friends saying these words after their visit to your home was repeatly interrupted by six dirty walls and waving hands crazy, there are possible solutions.
Preventing roach entry is the first step to controlling infestation. Roaches may enter from outdoors, in infested containers from other buildings or from adjoining homes or apartments. To prevent them in cracks in floors and walls and cracks leading to spaces behind the baseboard and door frames.
Because cockroaches develop in large numbers in dirt and filth, through cleaning reduces the chance of infestation. Always check baskets, covers, surfaces for roachs and kill the bugs immediately.
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There are a number of commonly used sprays and dusts that can be prepared and used by simply following the instructions on the label. They can be purchased at home and garden stores, Dishon, Ask for Olphryps (Dursan) Dishon, Malathion, Preparox (Baygon) or Ronnel.
roaches are abundant, difficult to control or firmly established.
whether a spray or dust is used, treatment should be limited to baseboards, cracks and places where roaches hide. Spray around the baseboards and walls inside, especially in upper corners, and in the
cracks. Also spray around the refrigerator, behind window and door, frames and on the cabinet doors.
Fifty-five species of cockroach live in America, but only seven varieties enter homes and buildings and continue to prosper. The most common variety is the American cockroach, which is *V*₁ to *V*₂ longest and is reddish-brown to dark brown. The other six varieties that plague households are the Australian cockroach, brown cockroach, brown-banded cockroach, German cockroach, Oriental cockroach and the smokeybrown cockroach.
SPENDING MONEY for professional fumigation may not be worth the expense. Fumigation immediately destroys a cockroach infestation, but it is dangerous in congested areas, and it is expensive. Because buildings often become infested again quickly and effective residual insecticides have become available, fumigation is often unnecessary.
These roaches grow slowly where food, moisture and temperature conditions are not satisfactory. Thus, conditions for roach growth are not ideal where good sanitation is practiced.
The female lays her eggs in a leather capsule, which forms at the end of her body. All species, except the German, carry the egg capsules for a period before glue them to some object in a protected place.
IN ADDITION TO roaches, some other pests may be invading Lawrence homes. At this time of year ants begin making tracks through homes, but it is nothing a blast of spray insecticide can't handle. Spray directly on ants and on paths they commonly use.
If you have mice, get a cat. Seriously, folks, this really works. Word spreads fast on the mouse grapevine that a feline is around, and they don't reappear. For those who are allergic to cats or hate cats more than mice, use mousetrap or poison. These should be handled with extreme caution, especially if small children are near.
If you have rats, move! There is nothing you can do to defeat rats. They can chew through cinder blocks, open any food container in a kitchen and will inflict a painful bite on anyone who tries. You can offer you can’t refuse. Either move or watch them slowly take over. They mean business.
PESTS ARE NO FUN. They carry filth on the legs and backs and spread disease from them. They destroy. They damage and other household items while leaving an of fessional odor. So, the sooner you take steps to get rid of them, the sooner you can keep them off.