Two years and many memories ago, a group of girls made a promise. The third hall of Metcalf was the place and future housing plans were on the agenda.
No matter what happened over the course of our college years, one thing was certain: Brought together by the mysterious hands of fate, our handful of different personalities had learned to live in harmony. And despite our inevitable separate paths over the next three years, we vowed to find a huge house fourth year -- so that everyone could live together again.
The time to execute our plan came unbelievably quick, but we started our journey well in advance this past summer. The road of house hunting, however, has been a little bumpier than anyone could have anticipated.
For one thing, the final numbers stood at 14, and it's not like Charlottesville is crawling with spare mansions.
After countless hours of searching for houses, touring the premises and calculating rents, we had narrowed down our options to three possibilities.
While option one was absolutely beautiful, its location out on Jefferson Park Avenue was not particularly on the list of top 10 characteristics our new house must have. Next there was the Cabel Avenue house. While this place was a little closer, its current tenants have not exactly kept it in stellar condition.
Last on our list was nothing short of a dream come true. Its ideal location was nothing compared to its huge walk-in closets, beautiful woodwork and spacious living areas. With its eight enormous bedrooms, three kitchens and five bathrooms, every aspect of the cozy place immediately stole our hearts -- down to the pear tree in the large, fenced-in backyard.
Consequently, it's hard not to understand why we were excited when the house's landlord called to offer us the house.
While four of us hustled over to the landlord's personal house to seal the deal with signatures and a $3,200 check, the rest of us excitedly planned a dinner celebration.
Our joy, however, was painfully short-lived.
Less than a week later, all plans were brought to an abrupt halt when each of us received a sugary-sweet e-mail from our future landlord, who coincidentally owns a popular 24-hour sandwich shop on the Corner.
I could hardly believe my eyes --- while the landlord had verbally assured us the lease was binding, he conveniently neglected to sign the papers until each of our parents sent him liability forms. So, when he "found out" his assistant had resigned our future house (unbeknownst to him), he found nothing wrong with going back on his word.
To soften the blow, he offered us another house he owned, and since we had thrown away any other options in our assurance of the dream house, we had no choice but to check it out.
In addition to a number of less-than-luxurious characteristics, the chances of 14 college girls fitting in this house were nonexistent.
Basically, we were back at square one in the middle of October -- well after the signing of any other previous housing option. Potentially homeless, we seriously contemplated the possibility of pitching a couple of tents on the Lawn.
In the end, we resorted to signing a lease for a duplex at the far end of Cabel Ave. We figure that the bushel of weeds clumped in the front yard will protect us from trespassers and the throw-up green carpet in the living room can mask any spills.
Personal sob story aside, almost any student at the University can relate to the horrors of housing in Charlottesville.
Fourth-year College student Conor Lastowka and his roommates, for example were shocked when their security deposit was not returned at the end of last year. In addition to keeping their original security deposit of $1,375, their former landlord charged an additional $1,100 for charges such as "painting and patching," Lastowka said.
Since they rarely had company and hadn't caused any damage to their five- bedroom house, the group could not understand the charges impeded upon them. According to Lastowka, they had even paid $175 to get the house professionally cleaned.
Their former landlord, however, did not leave room for negotiation.
"We went to talk to our landlord and he instantly told us he was unwilling to waver in his stance," Lastowka said. "He said if we wanted to change it, we'd have to take him to court, knowing that this is an unlikely step."
After going to Student Legal Services with their gripes, Lastowka and former roommates were disheartened to learn of their odds in the case.
According to Lester Wilson, director of Student Legal Services, landlords always have the advantage when tenants fork over large deposits.
"Virginia legislature allows landlords to take deposits and that puts them in the driver's seat," Wilson said. "Any tenant is at the disadvantage
- not just students."
Since taking such cases to court is often impractical and time-consuming, Wilson advises students to prevent the problem in the first place by doing an initial walkthrough of the house prior to moving in or even signing the lease.
"Talk to the current tenants about the property and about the landlord," Wilson said. "Get any oral promises of the landlord in writing as an addendum to the lease. Type a list of his promises that aren't covered in the lease, and before you sign the lease, have the landlord and all roommates sign the addendum."
In addition, Wilson encourages tenants to document all problems in writing and to take photographs as proof. Then, after moving out, tenants should take pictures of how they left the property.
"Most landlords aren't trying to rip students off in my opinion," Wilson said.
Instead, Wilson said, problems arise when communication is unclear between landlords and tenants. Without tangible evidence, it's just one man's word against the other after all is said and done.
Third-year College student Elise Pressman has experienced the problems with miscommunication firsthand in the past few months.
When she and her future housemates found a house to fit their needs, they contacted the private landlord immediately.
"We played phone tag for a while, though, because he insisted to meet with all seven of us at once," Pressman said.
After a few arrangements, the landlord met with them at their current house.
"First, we all sat in a circle around a table," Pressman said. "Then he made each of us tell him our current activities and give local references."
After the grueling interview-like process, the landlord directed each interviewee to send him a copy of her r
sum
.
Within the next three days, all seven of the girls had e-mailed their r
sum
s, Pressman said. When they hadn't heard back from him later that week, however, they followed up with a phone call.
When pressed for information, the landlord said he currently was reviewing their references and would get back to them soon with a decision.
The following day, though, Pressman heard through the grapevine that the house already had been signed to a group of boys.
"He did tell us that he was interviewing several other groups," Pressman said. "But we didn't know if we should believe the rumor."
After all, less than 24 hours ago, the landlord had said he was still making a decision.
As the group eagerly awaited the landlord's phone call, though, the buzz eventually was confirmed. Needless to say, the call never came. In fact, the landlord hadn't even told his current tenants they wouldn't be able to renew their lease, Pressman said.
Frantically searching for an alternate house, the group resisted the urge to confront the landlord.
"We were very upset and wanted to call him," Pressman said. "Rather than being petty and yelling at him for a situation we couldn't change, though, we put more effort into finding another house."
After much deliberation, the group finally had to settle for an apartment that could fit six of the original seven.
"We had to adjust our group to fit the only off Grounds situations that still were available," Pressman said.
And despite the fortunate arrangement they have found, the group remains livid.
"I feel like since we're students, landlords don't maintain the same degree of professionalism that they would with adults," Pressman said. "We're not mad because we didn't get the house -- we're frustrated that we weren't treated with the same professionalism that we exhibited."
I think it's safe to assume that there's a consensus around Grounds --- in addition to the inconvenience of lease signing in early October, students have the disadvantage in the economic world of housing in Charlottesville. Unfortunately, landlords often have the upper hand. In response, we need to spread awareness and take necessary precautions.
Knowing what rights tenants have and ways to avoid miscommunication are essential.
Next time a lease comes your way, it would pay to review your rights. After all, a little extra time is far less costly than some of the other alternatives.
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