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(DAILY_WILDCAT)

By Jennifer M. Fitzenberger
Arizona Daily Wildcat
April 2, 1997

Off-campus home hunters need to look before they lease


[photograph]


Ann Wolnick, assistant director of the University of Arizona Department of Student Programs


Finding an off-campus place to call home can be complicated for the first-time apartment or house hunter who is not prepared for the search.

"First, students should decide how many people they want to live with and where they want to live," said Norma Scholl, regional supervisor for Demco Development, which owns Arizona Commons, 931 N. Euclid Ave. "They need to decide if they want to walk to s chool or drive."

She said most students who live in the campus residence halls during their first couple years of school eventually move off campus for more space and privacy.

"The dorms are a good way to become orientated with the college," Scholl said. "But after that, the space is more appealing."

Ann Wolnick, assistant director of the University of Arizona Department of Student Programs, said students who are looking at off-campus housing for the first time will want to start their search at the Center for Off-Campus Students in the Memorial Stude nt Union.

"We work closely with the landlords to try and give students one-stop shopping," she said.

Wolnick said that if students want to move off campus, they need to become familiar with the terms and fees they will encounter.

"You will first need to find out how much money they (the landlords) want for a deposit, and what it does and does not cover," she said.

A security deposit is the money that a tenant pays a landlord to ensure that the resident abides by the lease agreement. The deposit is used to pay for damages caused by the residents during their occupancy.

"The law says that they (landlords) can only charge 11/2 times the first month's rent for a deposit," Wolnick said.

She said that after inquiring about the deposit, future renters should ask about the lease, which is a legally binding contract that allows a tenant to use an apartment for a specific amount of time.

"Make sure and ask if they offer nine-month leases," Wolnick said. "Breaking a lease is the one thing students don't grasp - your names are all on the lease." She said some apartment complexes do not offer leases specifically for the school year.

Wolnick also said it is important to ask what utilities are paid by the landlord and which ones renters will have to pay.

"Ask about what is included, because if you have a big stereo, you should look for a place that includes electricity," she said.

There are many advantages to living off campus after the initial negotiations are completed, Wolnick said.

"It's a wonderful feeling of independence," she said. "You have more control over your food and more control over who comes and goes by your door."

Wolnick said the traffic in the residence halls can be a nuisance, but said it is easier to make friends there.

Wolnick said 80 percent of the undergraduate population lives off campus. There are 5,000 residence hall beds and 1,000 beds in sorority and fraternity houses, she said. There are 35,000 students on campus and everyone else is off campus.

Wolnick also said off-campus students should purchase renter's insurance to protect against fire and theft.

Off-campus housing services such as Apartment Locators and Real Estate Direct also have helped searchers narrow their choices.

Services like Apartment Locators match prospective renters with locations, price and apartment size, said Kip Johnson, the co-owner of Apartment Locators.

For students with pets, Wolnick said the best thing to do is find a house.

She said going through a search service such as Real Estate Direct to find a house will cost $40 to $60. The service provides a list of available rental properties that match the searcher's preferences.

"It is then your responsibility to look at the house," Wolnick said. "It can be frustrating to find a house in town."

"Real Estate Direct is a good service, but you will have to pay for it," said Jenine Fraser, a political science junior. She used the service to look for her current house. "They seemed to have houses at cheaper prices, but I didn't find anything through them."

Fraser said students looking for houses with more than two or three bedrooms should start looking as soon as possible because they are hard to come by.

"I didn't want to live in the dorms," said Julie Miller, a sophomore majoring in English who lives in an off-campus apartment. "I have a lot more freedom and there isn't someone looking over my shoulder."

Although she was glad that she spent her freshman year living in a residence hall, she said that she "could not do another year."

"Now I have privacy, cable and I can cook in a kitchen."


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