Cal Poly graphic communication and business senior Chaz Daum arrived home to find a note taped to her front door, informing her that the house she is renting with her three roommates will be auctioned off in two weeks. She called her landlord, who had disconnected his phone to avoid telling Daum that the house has been in foreclosure for several months. In the middle of February, she moved into a new apartment and continues to fight to get back her $1200 security deposit. But she’s learned something.
“You cannot put a price on a good landlord,” she said.
There are 19,471 full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate students attending Cal Poly, according to CSU Mentor. Beginning in fall, 6,300 students will be living on campus, which means there are over 13,000 living somewhere in San Luis Obispo County.
No matter where you’re living, you should know how to prepare for potential issues.
The best way to avoid a problem is to begin communicating early, Amy Stapp of Creative Mediation said.
“Communication is really the key,” she said. “The more clear people are about expectations and what they’re committing to, the likelier it is that they’ll have a better working relationship.”
Creative Mediation offers SLO Solutions, a free service that trains people to handle conflict resolution and mediates conflicts between roommates, landlords and tenants, neighbors and family members. Between July 2008 and June 2009, they assisted 625 people, 200 of whom were Cal Poly students.
56 percent of the cases SLO Solutions handled were between landlords and tenants and included arguments about security deposits, unpaid rent, property conditions, sound, pets, lease logistics and subleasing.
Here are some common issues, how to avoid them and how to deal with them if they do come up.
Get along with your roommate
Roommates should come up with an agreement, deciding whether they’ll share groceries and how they’ll handle the rent and bills and so on, Creative Mediation Ambassador Steffanie Medina said.
“With roommates, be clear and anticipate things that could come up,” she said.
Cal Poly electrical engineering junior Michael Cocchi said he started having problems with his roommate the first day of his freshman year.
“There were too many things to remember, but a big one is that he kept spraying Glade on my side of the room,” he said. “The smell makes me very sick.”
He added that his Resident Advisor and Coordinator of Student Development weren’t helpful, so he was stuck living there for the rest of the year.
There are 13 CSDs this year. Each has a master’s in student affairs, counseling or higher education. Their job is to oversee the 109 community and resident advisors.
Carole Shaffer, Cal Poly director of residential life and education, said that after the first two weeks of fall quarter, students can switch roommates by talking to their CSD.
“We have a pretty liberal roommate-switching policy,” she said.
Most residents choose to remain with their roommate, she added. But if they are unhappy, residents should talk to their CSD.
“We run a very high percentage of roommate matches that work,” she said.
Both CSDs and advisors handle violations of the housing license each resident signs before moving in. This directly corresponds to the next issue: how to remain in on-campus housing.
Don’t get kicked out of the dorms
Cal Poly business senior Kyle (who preferred not to share his real name) was an RA in Fremont Hall. He said that both residents and advisors have an expansive list of rules they have to follow. Be kind to your RA, and you’ll be better off.
“Not having a few write-ups during the quarter is suspicious, so be sure to thank your RA next time you’re stumbling though the halls during 2 a.m. rounds,” he said.
Residents can still party, he said, but if they’re smart, they’ll do it away from the dorms. Your RA might even join you, Kyle added.
“I drank with residents both on and off campus. Rumors suggest others did as well, although the ones you don’t hear about are the ones who kept their jobs.”
Advisors aren’t allowed to use the master key to get into a resident’s room unless it’s an emergency situation, said Shaffer.
“We ask the students to be cooperative,” she said. “We don’t enter a room unless there’s a serious health or safety concern.”
If a suspect resident is ever unwilling to open the door, the University Police Department will be called, Yerkes added.
“Most residents open the door for RA’s — it’s the smart choice, because if you are kind to an RA, they will report it better for you, but having the UPD called on you is a serious offense,” he said.
An RA, CA or CSD files an incident report, and the CSD meets with the resident(s) involved, said Shaffer. The student then has an opportunity to explain the situation, but any issues involving illegal substances will be checked by the university police.
“We will follow up. We are a state university, and the state law is 21,” she said.
Get your security deposit back
Cal Poly materials engineering senior Zenon Carlos said he is getting ready to take his landlord to court. At first his landlord tried to improve the house by keeping the $3000 security deposit and now the deposit is two months overdue, he said.
“It’s not that I paid him; he already had the money from the security deposits. He just refused to give them back for so-called ‘cleaning fees.’ $3000 worth. Yeah, right,” he said.
A landlord can charge a security deposit in case tenants default on a rent payment, damage the property beyond normal wear and tear or don’t leave it in the same state of cleanliness as when they moved in, according to California Civil Code Section 1950.5. Security deposits cannot exceed two months’ rent for an unfurnished property or three months’ rent if the property is furnished and must generally be returned within 21 days.
If it has been 21 days, tenants can write a letter to the landlord demanding the deposit and/or sue, according to the California organization Tenants Together Web site.
To avoid having to harass their landlord or spend time arguing in court, tenants should take a few precautions when they move in, according to the California Department of Consumer Affairs.
The DCA guide to tenants’ and landlords’ rights and responsibilities recommends completing a checklist regarding the condition of the rental when tenants first move in. Both the tenants and landlord should sign and date it, and each party should keep a copy.
Tenants can also take photos and keep those with the checklist. If one isn’t provided by the landlord, tenants can download one online via the DCA Web site.