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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 7, 2004)
von Klein Property | Management, LLC CAMPUS RENTALS 1. ■ ■ • Largest Selection - Personal Service Now Renting Campus Chateau 1668 Ferry Campus Twins 735 E. 14th Ferry Street Quads 1728 Ferry Fir Crest 630 E. 14th Holly Court 1930 Onyx Lake Crest 1390 Mill Maple Arms 1345 Ferry Patterson Manor 611E.1FH 1085 Patterson Selma Apartments 361 E. 14th 944-946 E. 19th 1340 Mill 1365 Ferry 531E. 14th 1881-1891 High 315-365 E. 19th 1911 Kincaid 354 E. 14th 1550-1556 Mill St. 1647 Mill FORTHESE LISTINGS, CALL 485-7776 Alderwood Manor 1884-1860 Alder 686-0743 Blackstone Manor 1750 Alder 687-0684 Campus Plaza 750 E. 18™ 485-7208 College Side 737 E. 16™ 683-9546 Flintridge 500 E. 18™ 485-0060 J Garden Terrace 1893 Garden Ave. 302-5713 Hideaway 710 E. 15th Alley 715 E. 16th 683-9546 Talisman 888 E. 18th 485-7208 University Manor 745 E. 15™ 485-9773 1884 Garden Ave. 1210 Villard 302-5713 von Klein Property f Management, llc. 485-7776 • 1301 Ferry | The finer points of renting The following are a few tips to avoid mistakes made by inexperienced renters: 1. Read the lease It sounds pretty simple, but many renters don't read each provision. ASUO Legal Services warns not to sign anything without understanding the contents. If a landlord is rush ing the renter to sign the lease, it may be an indication that something is not right. Once the lease is signed, the renter is obligated to obey it. "Landlords like to hand you a lease, but if there is some thing in there you don't like, you can negotiate," Nicole Mi ani, a staff attorney for Legal Services, said. For example, most pet de posits are non-refiindable, but renters could ask the landlord for it to be refundable if the an imal causes no damage. What ever changes are made to the lease, it is essential to get them in writing with the tenant and landlord's signatures. Another indication not to sign the lease is if the fees are outrageous. "If students read the lease at all, it's very easy to think it will never happen to them," Miani said. This is a common problem with renters who have numer ous roommates. If one of the roommates is late with their part of the rent, then all ten ants are responsible for the late fee. Note what the termination of lease fee is. While renters don't usually plan on breaking Tenants can avoid rental mishaps by paying attention to details By Emily LoVerde Freelance Reporter the lease, unexpected events can arise that might require payment of the fee. Miani advises students not to rush into leases. "The market is pretty good right now, and I think students can be a lot choosier about what rental situation they are getting into," she said. 2. Don’t move in until you have written a list of damages A common problem when renters move is that the new place is not clean. Miani said to call the landlord immediately and inform him or her of the condition of the apartment. "Break a deal and see if you can get money off next month's rent," she said. If the landlord agrees, write a letter thanking him or her for the agreement, and keep a copy for yourself. The letter serves as evidence that the agreement took place. If the landlord refuses to make an agreement, renters can break the lease and refuse to move in. Once a renter moves in, the landlord will ask them to write a list of damages or provide check sheets to fill out. Renters should thoroughly fill out the form and make a copy for themselves. Miani said many tenants don't discover all the damages right away "If you notice anything else after moving in, send a letter to the landlord even if it doesn't bother you," she said. If the renter doesn't see the damages right away, the land lord probably didn't either, and he or she could charge the renter for those damages when the lease is terminated. Miani said a frequent mis conception is that renters think if they paid a cleaning deposit fee at the beginning of their lease that they do not have to clean up when they leave. Landlords will use the cleaning deposit first and then dip into the security deposit to cover cleaning costs. Hourly rates of cleaning can be $15 to $20 an hour, according to Timothy Breen, a property manager for Jennings and Co. Property Management Inc. Miani recommends taking pictures of walls and floors af ter terminating a lease. "Sometimes landlords do overreach and claim they spent 16 hours cleaning," she said. "If you have pictures, it helps your argument." 3. Communication is key "Communication with your landlord is a big deal, and most people don't do it," Breen said. By maintaining a good rela tionship with the landlord, he or she might be more willing to Turn to TIPS, page 8B The dirt on deposil Renters can clean and repair damage to make sure they get their deposits back By Lauren Wilson • Freelance Reporter Moving time is right around the comer, and what renters do now may influence the amount of cash in their pockets in the near future. As the school year ends, so do leases for many renters, and it's time to start thinking about what needs to be done to get deposits back. Land lords and property manage ment agencies stress that the most important factor for get ting a deposit back is cleaning. Apartment completes such as Duck's Village offer an exten sive cleaning checklist for renters to follow before mov ing out. The Duck's list re quires scrubbing all areas from baseboards to ceiling light fix tures and also mentions clean ing the toilet seat bolts. r Duck's Village Leasing Manager Cathy Engebretson encourages renters to begin cleanup about a month be fore moving. "Sometimes it takes you two to three times longer than you would think," Engebret son said. Many renters don't receive portions of their deposit be cause of cleanup they uninten tionally failed to do. To avoid these charges, follow the check list provided by management. Landlords should provide ade quate instructions to help avoid unnecessary charges. Managers also assess dam ages after renters move out so it is important renters get an apartment inspection report Turn to DEPOSITS, page 6B ADDITIONAL TIPS FOR A QUICK DEPOSIT RETURN ♦ Return anything that belongs to the landiordsuchas keys and garage door openers. ♦Replace items such as light bulbs, which can be withdrawn prior to inspection. Even if the repair is The Oregon Daily Emerald is a student-run newspaper published daily Monday through Friday during the school year and Tuesday and Thursday during the summer by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co. Inc., at the University of Oregon. The Emerald operates independently of the University with offices in EMU Suite 300. Contact the editor by e-mail at editor@dailyemerald.com or by phone at (541) 346-5511.
