Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 7, 2004)
RENTERS BEWARE OSPIRG's renter's rights project has documented hundreds of instances of dissatisfied tenants By Sheldon Traver • Freelance Reporter Walking up the steps of her Eugene apartment, senior Alyson Harding expected confrontation. She inched closer to the door and heard the footsteps of the beast she was about to confront: 60 pounds of matted black lab with growling, dirty yellow teeth snarling in the window. "I end up crying and shaking every time I see it," Harding said. "It's the spawn of Satan." Harding said her fear of various dogs that have shared her living space has forced her to move. "I've had to move eight times in four years," she said. To avoid situations such as this, renters should be wary of the housing situations they may be considering. OSPIRG is working on a renter's rights project at the University and Lane Commu nity College. Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group Campus Organizer Kit Douglass said the group re ceived 150 calls on its renter's rights hotline in April. "We had one renter who had a toilet that would back up constantly and overflow into the kitchen and kitchen cabinets," Douglass said. She said OSPIRG has seei houses with enough structure damage that the front doo would not close, and addec that it is important for renter to be assertive when choosinj a rental. "The landlord — accordinj to law — is supposed to pro vide a habitable place to live,' Douglass said. History major Jerom} French said he wishes h< would have known mor< about his rights prior to mov ing into an old apartment. "The roof was rotting, anc there was a hole in the come of my roof," French said. Apply now for summer and fall 2004! • Private rooms & baths • Full meal service* "“Offered during academic year • Academic discounts www.the<ollegian.<om For current specials call (541) 343-1255 1810 Alder St.»Eugene, Oregon i-Best Location... ■ Best Value n Campus Area Quads are available at several convenient locations all within stepping distance to the University of Oregon. ■ Upgraded units available ■ Shared & private bath units ■ Furnished or unfurnished ■ PAID UTILITIES ■ On-site management ■ 24 hour emergency service Flexible lease terms / reserve for fall Summer QUAD Rental Rates $205-250 Fall QUAD Rental Rates $305-350 Security deposit $200 ■ Visit our models at:! ■ ■ Campus Court Quads Woodside Manor 1544 Alder St. #21 1810 Harris St. #105 (541) 344-2816 (541) 344-2657 9S68L0 Ask about our studio, 1 & 2 bedroom apartments! _ Talray Holdings (Oregon), Inc. 1051 West 8th Avenue ■ (541) 344-9763 www.talray.com i To remedy the problem, he I bought plastic to make a fiin r nel for the torrent of water that I would come when it rained. > "One evening I came home, 1 and it had funneled into a cor ner and onto my roommate's ; bed downstairs,* French said. Fortunately, his roommate was able to find a dry spot to sleep until the mattress dried. r "The owners said they ■ would get to it; however, it was never very high on their priori ty list." French said. He lived with the problem | for a year before finally mov ing out. OSPIRG suggests students carefully examine their poten tial rental and write down any necessary repairs and when they will be fixed. For housing questions, call 346-HELP for free assistance. Harding said she will meet her neighbors before signing any new agreements. For now, she said she hopes oth ers will learn from her bad experiences. "I live in a place where my neighbor's dog is evil and tries to kill me," Harding said. "It can't get much worse than this." Sheldon Traver is a freelance reporter for the Emerald. DEPOSITS continued from page 2B prior to moving in. The report allows renters to list damages that already exist. Alecia Yenter, 24, said she has always had her deposit re turned. "The most important thing to do is walk through with your landlord before you move in and again when you move out," she said. "Make copies of the agree ments and even take pictures if you need to." Yenter said to take time to walk through the house with the landlord and document damages to avoid paying later for them. Then, ask for a copy of the initial damage report and keep it. She added that taking pic tures is a valuable tool in avoiding paying for damages made prior to moving in. Sign and date the pictures upon moving in and again when moving out. Landlords can charge for damage be yond normal wear and tear, which can be an issue of in terpretation. Some landlords offer the al ternative of a separate non-re fundable deposit for allowing pets to live in the unit. Landlord Kathy Re said typ ically this deposit is signifi cantly less than the security deposit. "We charge a separate $200 non-refundable deposit for pets," she said. The non-refundable animal fee will usually cover the cost of carpet cleaning upon the tenant moving out. If a landlord finds a pet when the lease doesn't permit animals, the renter risks losing a larger amount of money from the security deposit. It is better to pay the initial pet deposit. Renters have options if they feel they have wrongfully been denied the return of a deposit. ASUO provides free legal services for these types of situ ations. Linda Miller, assistant direc tor of ASUO Legal Services, said renters need to make an appointment to talk about the situation. She said these cases are common and rarely result in a court case. "We are usually able to ne gotiate and get a satisfactory settlement for students with out going to court," Miller said. Renting advocates said the first thing to do is notify the management in writing that there is a disagreement with the charges and why. Send the letter with a return receipt re quested, and keep the receipt. Student Chrystal Price, 21, said the $200 carpet damage charge she received when she moved out of her apartment last year was unreasonable. Price contacted her mother and lawyer. "I wrote them a letter saying that I had contacted my lawyer and refused to pay the dam ages," she said, adding that she reached an out-of-court settlement. The last resort is small claims court. The Oregon State Landlord Tenant Securi ty Deposit Law states that in Oregon, landlords must re turn deposits to their tenants within 30 days, but they do have the right to withhold a reasonable amount from the security deposit for damages claimed. The reasonable amount usually cannot ex ceed the cost of the repairs and the time needed to repair the damages. Lauren Wilson is a freelance reporter for the Emerald. Get the SCOOP www.dailyemerald.com Oregon Daily Emerald/NEWS
