Surviving Off-Campus Life
By SARAH HAGEN
HARRISONBURG, Va. -- Laura Karr, a senior at James Madison University (JMU), was on summer break in Michigan hundreds of miles from her college home when she received several frantic phone calls from her housemates. According to Karr, their landlord's secretary had left an ominous message: “Your house has flooded and you better have tenant’s insurance to pay for the damages.”
“The situation was hectic and confusing,” said Karr. With no idea about where turn for advice, Karr and her roomates were panicked about the possibiity that they might have to come up with the money for the damage.
According to Karr, the landlord’s secretary left a follow-up message. Ultimately, the landlord took full responsibility for the damages and a sense of relief came over the tenants.
Still, this is the kind of conflict that thousands of JMU students encounter each year. Overcrowding and an insufficient number of dorms have forced students to seek off-campus housing. Presently, 62% of JMU students are living off-campus, according to JMU's Off-Campus Life (OCL) organization.
As JMU continues to expand, more students will face a slew of similar challenges--from complex lease agreements and maintenance issues to discrimination. Many of these students have little experience with real estate and housing laws. In response, JMU has developed a program aimed at helping students cope: JMU's OCL is an information and education organization that is also active in conflict resolution.
“Absolutely there has been a growth [in JMU enrollment] , and there’s going to be more of a growth in the next couple of years,” said Alex Adjei, education coordinator for OCL, located in Warren Hall.
The office works with property managers to provide real estate information to students. “Everyone has different preferences, ” Adjei said. “Some want a place that is vibrant or noisy. Others want it quiet. The office tries to find a good match.”
According to Adjei, students often make the mistake of securing a lease too early. “This creates a pandemonium, ” Adjei said. “We have not had a homeless person yet, and I don’t think we’re going to have one,” he teased. One goal of the OCL event known as the Housing Fair, which gives students opportunities to meet landlords, is to educate potential tenants and discourage them from making quick, irrational commitments.
Adjei said that a lease can be an intimidating document. As a result, students may find themselves in compromising and vulnerable situations. Adjei said that the OCL will help review a student’s lease. “It is a legal document as soon as you sign it,” he warned.
And maintenance issues tend to be a reoccurring problem, Adjei said.
One example is JMU senior Brent Levy, who complains that his landlord delays when it comes to maintenance. “We have to bug him [the landlord] before he’ll help, ” Levy said. “Sometimes we do it ourselves and save the hassle of trying to talk with him.”
If a maintenance problem arises, Adjei advises students to first address the source, the landlord, with a detailed and written complaint. If the landlord is unresponsive then the OCL office can get involved.
Bill Riner, owner of Riner Rentals is a local Harrisonburg property manager, and 40% of his clients are students. His advice: “Have it [requests and agreements] in writing.”