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
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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.