PACKIN’
UP
It's more than a one-man job:
Professional movers can be hired, or friends
and family can be enlisted for the task
By T.A. Akimoff • Freelance Reporter
Moving takes careful planning, organiza
tion and commitment. It also requires
the acquisition of boxes, old newspa
pers, bubble wrap and packing tape.
Some people throw moving parties where
they invite their friends to help with the task, and
others rely on parents to get them packed and to
the next place. Some hire moving companies to
pack their belongings, transport them and un
pack them at their destination, and others rent a
truck and do it themselves.
"I have my own truck, and I'm a big guy, so
people usually feel comfortable asking me to
help them move," freshman Joe Renfro said.
"The only things I remember breaking or drop
ping are big items that three of us could not real
ly lift. We also scratched a few walls in our time."
Other problems with having friends stand in
for professional movers are costs for things such
as food, drink and gas.
"On occasion people offer to compensate me for
my gas because my truck is a gas hog" Renfro said.
For seniors Megan Tighe and Katie Knappen
berger, moving is always a group effort.
"We usually commission friends or boyfriends
to help us move," Knappenberger said. "Our
main motivation for moving helpers is beer."
For Tighe and Knappenberger, moving is a
problem that needs a creative solution.
"We rented a Ford Excursion one time and we
were able to fit all our stuff in it," Tighe said.
If money is no object, a moving service may
be the easiest option. Many moving services offer
to send out a representative who will catalogue
belongings and the distance of the move.
"We can take everything from where it sits on a
shelf, pack it, move it to your new location, un
wrap it, and place it back on that shelf," Eugene
Moving & Storage employee Robert Hixson said.
Some of the advantages of a full-service mover
Turn to PACKIN', page 14B
RENTING
continued from page 5B
tenants are responsible for the
late fee.
Note what the termination
of lease fee is. While renters
don't usually plan on breaking
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 re
fuses 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
misconception is that renters
think if they paid a cleaning de
posit 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 Tim
othy 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
help renters out. For instance,
if a renter is unable to pay rent
one month, Breen said the
best thing to do is call the
landlord.
"Most of them are nice and
will work it out within reason,"
Breen said.
However, if the renter fails to
pay rent and doesn't communi
cate with the landlord, after sev
en days, the landlord can serve
the tenant with a 72-hour no
tice under the Oregon Residen
tial Landlord and Tenant Act.
The notice gives the tenant
three days to either pay the rent
or vacate the premises. If nei
ther happens, the landlord can
then file the claim in court.
Breen said the most com
mon problem he encounters
with his clients is when tenants
don't give a 30-day written no
tice of termination.
"In the summer, we have a
two-week period where around
300 or 400 students move
out," Breen said.
By writing a letter to the
landlord, the renters ensures
they won't pay for extra days.
Even if the renter's lease will
expire, a written notice is
needed. The letter should indi
cate where the keys will be left
and remind the landlord of
broken items mentioned in
the checklist at the beginning
of the lease.
Most importantly, tenants
should provide their forward
ing address to receive their se
curity deposit back. Under the
Oregon Residential Landlord
and Tenant Act, the landlord is
required to return the security
deposit or a letter stating why
the deposit is not returned
within 31 days of the termina
tion of the lease. If the landlord
fails to do so, he or she has to
pay up to twice the amount
owed to the former tenant, the
law states.
"We get a lot of calls on day
32," Breen said.
He added that getting the
money back is a very common
problem, especially with mul
tiple roommates. If roommates
want the security deposit split,
Breen said they must write a
letter with all the names and
forwarding addresses provided.
Communication goes both
ways in a tenant-landlord rela
tionship. The Oregon Residen
tial Landlord and Tenant Act
states: "Rent may not be in
creased without a 30-day writ
ten notice thereof in the case
of a month-to-month tenancy
or a seven-day written notice
thereof in the case of a week
to-week tenancy." The law also
states that landlords must also
give a 24-hour written notice
to the tenant before entering
the dwelling.
"So many of your rights de
pend on giving written no
tices," Miani said. "Landlords
know that writing a letter is get
ting legal gears in motion and
take it more seriously."
Emily LoVerde is a freelance
reporter for the Emerald.
I5M!T
The next
MOVING GUIDE
will be on newsstandsPriday, June 4tK
Oregon Daily Emerald
...... The campus newspaper for the University of Or^on Community.
von Klein Property
Management, LLC
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