On top of keeping up with classes and extracurricular
obligations, finding a place to live can be a difficult and
sometimes overwhelming task UCLA students have to deal with. And
it’s not just the search that may pose problems.
There are a variety of liability loopholes and lease agreement
intricacies that students should be aware of when they sign their
names on the dotted line. UCLA offers many services that can make
this sometimes daunting task more manageable.
Located in the basement of Dodd Hall, UCLA Student Legal
Services offers legal advice in many different areas, including
several topics of interest to future tenants. These services are
available to all UCLA students.
Perhaps the most important piece of advice is to be aware of
what exactly the rental agreement says before moving in, said
Elizabeth Kemper, director of Student Legal Services.
Applications to rent, especially in Westwood, should be read
very carefully, she added. Many have language obligating the
applicants to rent the apartment if their credit is approved.
Kemper said some forms even state that a tenancy is created once
the application is approved, causing the student to be liable for
one month’s rent.
Once the decision has been made to rent an apartment, the tenant
must sign a rental agreement with the landlord.
Rental agreements are almost always binding. Any verbal
arrangements or modifications made between the tenant and landlord
are not legally valid.
“Get it in writing if you want to change anything,”
Kemper said.
Some students say that they have had experiences with landlords
misquoting or reneging on apartment rental rates for potential
tenants.
First-year English student Tiffany Alvarez said that her
landlord ultimately charged a rate that was significantly higher
than the one he had quoted to her at their first meeting.
In many cases, when no written record is made of such initial
offerings, it can be hard to convince the landlord to come down to
his original quote.
“If you rush into something prematurely, you won’t
be happy living there,” Alvarez said.
The length of the lease is also important, especially for
students. In the Westwood area leases can range from three to five
months to one year and longer. Shorter leases can be problematic
for students who require housing for the entire academic year.
“If you’re a transfer student just arriving in
Westwood, a short lease apartment can be a good place to stay as
you search for a home for the rest of the year. … But if
you’re already in L.A. and need housing for the year,
I’d recommend searching off campus rather than in
university-owned apartments,” said biomedical engineering
graduate student Dave Wendell.
In addition, there are steps students can take to ensure these
security deposits before they move in.
Tenants often take detailed inventory of the condition of the
apartment. This includes all aspects of the apartments, including
furniture and appliances. Tenants should send a written letter to
the landlord, detailing all existing conditions, emphasizing
problems that require repair or other attention.
“Make sure to make a copy of everything you send,”
Kemper said, adding that many students have come into the office,
saying they have lost documents and cannot provide verification.
She said there is not much that can be done in these cases.
Another reason to keep a record of the initial condition of the
apartment is that the tenant is only responsible to maintain the
apartment in the condition that it was in upon move-in.
If the apartment is dirtier when the lease expires than it was
initially, the tenant is liable for the difference.
“If the apartment was dirty, you’d want to document
that,” Kemper said.
Students who may soon become tenants should also be aware of
their rights during their stay.
The landlord is responsible for maintaining the apartment in a
“habitable condition” during the tenancy, Kemper said,
and if problems arise during the tenancy, the tenant should notify
the landlord as soon as possible.
“If it’s minor, a phone call is fine, but if
it’s anything of significance, you should put the request in
writing and keep a copy,” Kemper said. Examples of major
repairs include wet ceilings, roof leaks, or anything that could
potentially develop into a bigger problem later.
Kemper also said that tenants should be careful when choosing
roommates.
There are two types of roommate arrangements, Kemper noted. In a
co-tenant arrangement, each resident of the apartment signs the
lease agreement. In this case, the tenants are “jointly and
severally liable,” meaning that each tenant is liable for the
entire amount of the rent and for all damages done to the
apartment.
A tenant can also enter into a sublease agreement. In this case,
one tenant rents the apartments and then “sublets” the
apartment to other people who then pay rent for a room. These
people are all answerable to the tenant who has the lease
agreement.
Kemper added that tenants should “get a roommate or
sublease agreement no matter what the situation.”
Such contracts make it clear who is responsible for what when
sharing an apartment, and make it easier to resolve any conflicts
that may occur.
Kemper also recommended that tenants purchase renters insurance.
“It’s not expensive, and it protects students from
theft and damage for which the landlord is not responsible,”
she said.