WHILE FIRST years have only been living on Grounds for about three weeks, the pressure to start considering accommodation for next year has begun.
Local real estate agents are already advertising lease signing for the 2006-2007 school year, with bonuses, such as free parking, for leases signed before mid-October.
On Grounds, information from the University Housing Office was sent out via e-mail on Tuesday, advising students that although "this year has barely begun... it is time to start considering housing for next year."
Real estate agents, pressuring lease signing this early and consequently influencing the date on-Grounds housing decisions must be made by, bear the brunt of responsibility for how inappropriately early and stressful the housing process has become. The University, through a Student Council initiative, is working hard to aid students in making housing decisions. However, further action should be taken by the University to educate new students as to this manipulative and very misleading behavior by local real estate agents.
In spring 2004, a Student Council initiative led to the creation of the Off-Grounds Housing Office, which specializes in aiding students to evaluate their choices about off-Grounds housing.
The Office, which opened last August, serves as an imperative resource, educating students about the wealth of options available off Grounds, and, should they choose to move off Grounds, their rights as tenants. The Office also coordinates with other student services, such as Peer Mediation and Student Legal Services, to point students in the right direction for everything from roommate troubles to lease queries.
Perhaps the most substantial undertaking of the initiative is the "Tenants' Bill of Rights," which spells out the relationship between students and their landlords. The bill gives students information about their rights as tenants and information about relevant laws dealing with security deposits and lease termination inspections. A clause in the bill allows students to withdraw from a lease with no penalty if a property is not ready two weeks before school starts.
According to the Off-Grounds Housing Office Web site, about 65 percent of students live off Grounds. While some would have students believe this makes the market highly competitive, with a few exceptions on the Corner and 14th Street, this is not true.
How misleading is the pressure to start making decisions about housing now? According to Off-Grounds Housing Office Director Vicki Hawes, if students are feeling pressure to sign a lease this early the best option is to "drive around town right now and look at all the 'for rent' signs... the market is very soft."
Students can aid in alleviating the confusion and pressure felt by new students confronted with housing decisions by holding off on lease signing until November at the very earliest. Signing a lease in September or October is incredibly unwise, especially for first years. Chances are, friends in the first month or so of your college career will probably not turn out to be best friends for life. Signing so early only encourages landlords to set the misleading deadlines even earlier.
Hawes advises students wait until they have at least "lived through at least one set of exams before you come out knowing who you want to live with." The Off-Grounds Housing Office recommends students "shouldn't feel any pressure to sign something until January."
While the Off-Grounds Housing Office certainly provides an array of resources to students, the University could be doing even more to encourage new students to seek aid in housing decisions.
Given that the Off-Grounds Housing is only a year old, further publicizing the office and the resources it provides could prove to be an invaluable tool to first years shaken up over housing choices. Resident Advisors could become more engaged in tackling the housing problem by further educating first years as to the challenges faced in making housing decisions. RAs could warn students that the deadlines for housing decisions pressured by real estate agents are frequently misleading and much earlier than the deadlines recommended by the Off-Grounds Housing Office. RAs could stress that holding off on decision making is wise and strongly advise students to seek help from the Off-Grounds Housing Office before making a decision.
For those of you already biting your nails over where to live a year from now, hold off. There is a plethora of options available to you and an extensive amount of resources for you to delve into before making a decision. Hopefully, with further student education and action, real estate agents will learn their lesson.
Sophia Brumby's column appears Fridays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at sbrumby@cavalierdaily.com.
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