February 2005

Lots to consider in search for student housing

Diane Russell is associate director of Student Housing. (Debbie Aldridge/UC Davis)

There are many types of living arrangements for college students, and chances are yours will try more than a few by the time they graduate. As the hunt begins for next year, there are many factors to weigh -- from monthly rent and the fine print on leases to transportation and roommate relations.

Winter quarter is usually when students begin contemplating next year's living options. Students in the residence halls are helped in this process through programs presented by the campus Student Housing office. The sessions cover issues such as different housing options, setting guidelines for dividing bills and chores, what to look for in a lease, where to go for help with disputes and more.

"While we don't provide answers, we provide information students need to consider when moving off campus," says Diane Russell, associate director of Student Housing.

Trade-offs are inevitable. Living outside of Davis may mean cheaper rent, but it brings the added expense of transportation. A student parking permit is currently $444 annually. Living alone can mean a quieter place and no roommate hassles, but the cost usually proves to be too much.

Legal rights and responsibilities

Blanca Diaz is property manager for Tandem Properties, which has 14 apartment complexes in the city. She says residents often sign a lease without a clear idea of how important this binding contract is.

She often refers people to the California Department of Consumer Affairs to learn more. The department's web site includes a guide on tenant and landlord rights and responsibilities; single copies can be ordered free of charge.

Diaz sometimes gets calls from parents seeking personal information about their child or asking to enter his or her apartment. It is illegal for property managers to do this.

"Unless parents are on the lease, even if they are paying the rent, their rights are almost nonexistent," she explains.

Diaz recommends that, in addition to learning more about their role as a tenant, students research the place into which they are planning to move. Questions to ask include: What kind of reputation does this property have? How responsive is the manager? And, how do the current tenants like living there?

Making it work with roommates

Joanna Robinson's baking helps sweeten roommate relations. (Debbie Aldridge/UC Davis)

Senior Joanna Robinson, an English major, has had a different living situation each year at UC Davis. The Marin County native says finding roommates that get along makes it easier to solve problems when they arise.

Robinson once lived with two other students in a two-bedroom apartment, sharing a room with one of the women. There she found herself in the middle ground between two roommates who had disparate notions of cleanliness. The issue of chores sometimes became tense.

"If it got really bad, we'd have a house meeting," Robinson says, "but usually we'd just make it work because we liked each other so much."

The group also found that having each roommate responsible for a separate bill was the best way to ensure that everyone paid up. "Each person in charge of the bill had to harass the others for payment, so that helped us to sympathize with each other," she says.

Robinson found her current roommates through an Internet listing service. That hasn't proved as successful as living with someone she already knew, but Robinson says she enjoys the benefits of living in a house, like having a backyard and a washer and dryer.

Junior Kevin Kalhoefer, a history major from Alameda, agrees that the right roommates are the key to a successful living arrangement.

Last spring he set out with three others to find a place to live. They had hoped to secure a house where each could have his own room. Finding a home proved difficult, so they now live in an apartment. It has three bedrooms and one roommate lives in part of the living room, which they converted into a bedroom by installing a door.

"I think the people are definitely what counts most," Kalhoefer says. "The place doesn't matter, as long as everyone gets along."

For more information that can help with the search for housing, visit Aggie Family Pack's Web page on housing.

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