NOB/
NEIGHBORS
One downfall of living in an apartment
or a residence hall can be dealing with noise
By Meghann Cuniff • Freelance Reporter
After three terms in the
residence halls, some
students can't imagine
a noisier living situation.
Freshman Natalie Caminiti
is looking forward to leaving
the residence halls because she
has been plagued by problems
with noisy neighbors all year.
She said she is optimistic about
her future living situation be
cause she will have more con
trol in an apartment.
"There are better people to
enforce the rules about noise
complaints and getting kicked
out," she said.
Although apartment living
generally does offer a greater
level of privacy and a lower lev
el of noise than residence hall
life, noisy neighbors can and
do pop up
anywhere.
Knowing
how to
deal with
these
neighbors
is crucial
for a livable
environment.
Freshman Kristin Ellingson
said her neighbor did not noti
fy her before calling the police
about a noise disturbance.
"She's never talked to me;
she's never asked me to be qui
et, then she just calls the cops
on me," said Ellingson, who
rents an off-campus apartment
with her boyfriend.
Ellingson said she had been
crying over the death of her
aunt and was "just really upset
all over" when a police officer
knocked on her door and said
a neighbor had called and
asked that police check on her.
Ellingson took it as a show of
concern but soon found out
from the apartment manage
ment that it had actually been
a complaint.
When she was told her
downstairs neighbor had filed
a formal noise complaint
about the noise made by her af
ternoon aerobic workouts
"they said it was the second
time she had complained" and
cited the earlier visit from po
lice, Ellingson said.
Ellingson said she never
thought she was causing any
problems and is upset the
neighbor never discussed the
complaints with her before tak
ing them to authorities.
She said the complaints
mostly stem from "me doing
aerobics at two o'clock in the af
ternoon ... even the apartment
manager said she seems to be a
little too sensitive to noise."
Ellingson said she plans to
move as soon as the lease is up.
"She could have at least left a
note," Ellingson said, citing
that as the best thing to do
when faced with a noisy neigh
bor. "People who live in apart
ment complexes have to expect
some noise."
Like Ellingson, freshman
Ian Caputo opted for an apart
ment rather than a residence
hall room, and though he said
he is happy with his decision,
noisy neighbors are hardly for
eign to him.
He has never had a problem
persistent enough to push him
into action but said he is "good
natured enough so that what
bothers a lot of people doesn't
really bother me."
Caputo said it is best to do
anything possible to avoid no
tifying the police of a noisy
neighbor, and if necessary he
would ask his neighbors to
quiet down.
This approach to dealing
with noisy neighbors adheres
to the recommendations of
apartments downtown, said
different situations can call for
different courses of action.
Brandow said while in a per
fect world, all noise complaints
would be settled without inter
ference by an outside party,
sometimes it is best to contact
authorities rather than risk a
dangerous situation.
Lorig Property Management,
the company that owns the
apartment building, has on-site
managers such as Brandow in
every building to ensure a qual
ity life for tenants.
She said although she and
other on-site managers are
there to deal with noise and
other disturbances, tenants
should not hesitate to notify
the police if they feel the situa
tion is beyond their control.
"If it's just really loud and
unruly, feel free to call the
cops," Brandow said, citing
the idea that a large number of
guests and an obvious pres
ence of alcohol can be very in
timidating to someone want
ing to ask the noisemakers to
quiet down.
The apartments Brandow
manages have quiet hours
from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m., mak
ing noise more problematic if
it does arise. She stressed that
different companies have dif
ferent policies.
"We have on-site manage
ment to take care of (noise
complaints)," Brandow said,
making communication be
tween neighbors thoughtful
but not necessary.
She said not all apartments
have noise policies, making
the need for an open line of
communication between
neighbors greater.
most prop
k erty man
I agers, but
■ Tristan
I Brandow,
I on-site
* manager
of the
Broadway Place
Meghann Cuniff is a freelance
reporter for the Emerald.
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 Ser
vices warns not to sign any
thing without understanding
the contents. If a landlord is
rushing the renter to sign the
lease, it may be an indication
that something is not right.
Tenants can avoid
rental mishaps by
paying attention
to details
By Emily LoVerde
Freelance Reporter
Once the lease is signed, the
renter is obligated to obey it.
"Landlords like to hand
you a lease, but if there is
something in there you don't
like, you can negotiate,"
Nicole Miani, a staff attorney
for Legal Services, said.
For example, most pet de
posits are non-refundable, but
renters could ask the landlord
for it to be refundable if the
animal causes no damage.
Whatever changes are made to
the lease, it is essential to get
them in writing with the ten
ant 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 nu
merous roommates. If one of
the roommates is late with
their part of the rent, then all
Turn to RENTING, page 11B
Upscale Housing
for Academically
Driven Students
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
Location...
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
018956
Ask about our studio, 1 & 2 bedroom apartments!
Talray Holdings (Oregon), Inc.
1051 West 8th Avenue ■ (541) 344-9763
www.talray.com