Students interested in the legal issues involved with renting an apartment can learn more about leasing and landlord responsibilities at the Tenant’s Rights Workshop tonight.
The event is being presented by the Undergraduate Students Association Council Facilities Commission from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Covel Commons Grand Horizon Salon. The workshop is co-sponsored by Hillel at UCLA, the Office of Residential Life, On Campus Housing Council and Student Legal Services.
Joseph Miskabi, a third-year history and political science student, is scheduled to lead the main presentation.
“I’ll be going over topics like what is a lease, what does a lease need to have, what are landlords’ responsibilities and what are tenants’ responsibilities,” Miskabi said.
“It’s all about … knowledge of tenants’ rights as people are preparing to sign leases and living on their own for the first time.”
Miskabi said he will be accompanied by a panel consisting of Nancy Greenstein, director of police community services at UCPD; Los Angeles city prosecutors Susan Strick and Tina Hess; Sally Molloy of the Legal Aid Foundation; and Liz Kemper of Student Legal Services.
“A lot of students also don’t know that for $30 they can go to Student Legal Services,” Miskabi said. “The speakers will be there to answer specific questions, give suggestions, and point people in the right direction.”
Though the event is aimed at mainly second- and third-year students, all are encouraged to come.
Michael Afar, a first-year political science student, is not planning to live in an apartment next year but still said he found it important to help publicize through fliers, advertisements and Facebook.
“This workshop is relevant to so many people,” Afar said. “Students don’t know what they’re entitled to.”
He said additional information covered in the presentation includes laws governing tenants and landlords, parking and how many roommates you can have.
The workshop is part of USAC’s initiative to form a Westwood North Village Neighborhood Council, said USAC Facilities Commissioner PC Zai in a statement.
The council was created to help address students’ needs in such areas as rent increases, move-in dates, contracts and parking.
Zai also said many students do not address their problems or bother to learn about their rights until after a situation worsens.
“A lot of students are very apathetic about this and don’t care about the small things,” Zai said. “They wait until the situation gets really bad and it’s too late.”
Informing students on the details of leasing and renting apartments is important so they know what rights they have as tenants, said Jenn Lorch, a third-year pre-medicine and Jewish studies student.
“(The workshop) will be great for people to learn and ask questions, especially if they don’t know what it’s going to entail when they lease an apartment,” Lorch said. “It’s a great resource to residents who won’t be returning to on-campus housing.”