Town hall discusses Tenants' Bill of Rights
Town hall discusses Tenants' Bill of Rights USG makes plans to create a Student Tenants' Association to hold landlords accountable. By: Natalie Jarvey Posted: 9/19/07 Students came together Tuesday night at the Undergraduate Student Government Town Hall to air out longtime concerns and find solutions for off-campus housing woes.The focus of the evening was USG's plans for a Student Tenants' Association, which includes an off-campus housing website with resources for students and a Tenants' Bill of Rights.
The Student Tenants' Association has been in the works since USC President Sahil Chaudry and USG Vice President Max Slavkin took office in the spring.
Although the housing website went live on Tuesday, it is still in its beginning phase and will continue to evolve, said Paul Jansson, USG director of residential affairs.
It is expected to provide resources for students to find housing around USC, discuss landlord complaints and take legal action against landlords if necessary.
The Tenants' Bill of Rights will keep landlords accountable to their tenants in ways such as fixing problems quickly and keeping conditions liveable, Chaudry and Slavkin said.
Landlords that sign the Tenants' Bill of Rights will then be endorsed by the university through the accompanying website as an acceptable housing option, they added.
USG has been receiving complaints about housing from students over the last several years and felt it was time to make a change, said Caitlin Mattias, USG senior director of communications.
"A lot of students come to us and say 'I haven't gotten my security deposit or my air conditioning has been out for three weeks,'" Mattias said. "There are a lot of problems with landlords."
By using a Town Hall format, Slavkin sought to provide a forum for students to voice their housing concerns and to educate students on their rights as tenants in non-university housing.
"Everyone knows there is a problem, the forum will be used to help students follow the right steps," he said.
Many students such as Brad Zazzara, a sophomore majoring in business and psychology, need guidance in learning how to deal with landlords.
"We are just starting to live on our own and most of us don't know hardly enough about what our rights are," Zazzara said.
Despite wanting to protect students from landlords, Slavkin said that the Student Tenants' Association is not meant to drive housing companies out of business.
"We need housing. We just want to show landlords that they can't keep doing what they've been doing," he said. "If they break the law, we will call them out on it."
Housing complaint forms were passed out at the beginning of the meeting and Slavkin prefaced the event by saying that complaints should be limited to these cards and not brought into discussion regarding student action.
Meredith Hankins, a junior majoring in chemical engineering who sued Conquest Housing in a small claims court this summer after she did not receive her security deposit within 21 days of ending her lease, spoke at the Town Hall.
"Know your rights. You can get your problems solved," Hankins told students.
In order to inform students of their rights, Slavkin presented a PowerPoint with resources for students to take advantage of as well as important tenant laws within the state of California.
One point they stressed throughout the night was keeping track of all deals with landlords, including photos of the living space and documentation of maintenance requests.
USG brought in David Payab, an attorney who specializes in housing and has informed USG about tenants' rights.
Payab, who also provides free legal counseling to students on Wednesdays, found that most of the complaints he received were related to housing.
He covered a variety of topics and informed students on how to protect themselves when signing contracts and entering into housing agreements with landlords.
"Overall, [the Tenants' Bill of Rights] will benefit students. Out-of-state students are not privy to certain local rules and this will educate them about what they can expect and protect their rights," Payab said.
He also sees the Tenants' Bill of Rights as beneficial for landlords because those landlords who enter into this agreement will be supported by USG and will, most likely, receive more business from USC students.
Although there was a large turnout, most students did not participate. Those who did chose to relate their own housing horror stories or ask Payab legal questions instead of giving feedback to USG.
Phillip Yang, a senior majoring in public policy and development, presented several ideas to USG about the housing website and what students would find beneficial.
"I think it needs to be a collaboration. It will be a great way to address common questions, show former student housing cases and increase awareness," Yang said.