<p>Hi all - I’ve been lurking on the board for awhile but I really wanted to post and get advice on this topic. (I apologize in advance for the long post, and also if it is not in the right place).</p>
<p>I’m the mom of a current college sophomore who is moving off campus next year. It’s cheaper that way and son is excited about it. We’re leaving once my H finishes getting ready to start the drive up to see our son and to go see the apartment he and his roommates like. I’m not worried about him moving off campus, but I am worried about the apartment and the company that deals with it.</p>
<p>Son found this apartment via Craigslist…It’s in a fairly small, quiet apartment complex about 5 minutes away from campus. An alum of the school owns it and pays to have it cleaned/renovated and for trash, water, sewer, and heat. But for signing the lease and the deposit and maintenance, the owner leaves it up to a local realty/property management company. I did some research on the company and it does not have the best reputation. After further research, NONE of the big rental companies have good reputations. I guess it’s because it’s a college town, these people are just out to get money from college kids. There are only one or two small real estate agents who are good.</p>
<p>Anyway…I’m somewhat afraid of this rental company since its reputation is so bad. The owner seems to be trustworthy, as he is a recent graduate of the school and lived in the apartment himself; however, this rental company is known for being rude, unhelpful, impatient when needed. There are also rumors that they try keeping the security deposit and try to make students pay for things unnecessarily at move out (but apparently so do all the other apartments…looks like a lose-lose situation). I’m not sure how I feel about this. If the apartment is nice, I doubt that son will need them anyway unless there’s a major issue. He really likes the neighborhood the apartment is in, the buses for that apartment is the best for getting to campus, and since it’s owned by an alumni, the rent is phenomenal compared to others in the area and in the complex.</p>
<p>Any advice on how to handle this? Should I be wary during our appointment or try to hope for the best? Am I just being a paranoid parent? Anyone’s input is greatly appreciated, especially if you’ve been through this!</p>
<p>I’m not a parent, but I’ve looked at apartments, and most of the places, the management company always have bad reviews. A lot of them say things like being rude, taking all the deposit, etc, like you have mentioned.
One apartment I lived for 2 years, it was pretty nice, and only when I left the place did I see the reviews of the apartment and management. It was not so good, and many people reported problems that I had no idea of. But some of them were true, like one of the employees being a little rude to students. Many people noted that they didn’t get any deposit back. But we got 400 out of 600 dollars so I was surprised.</p>
<p>I don’t know if I was just lucky and did not have to deal with any issues, but I have a feeling that the only people that write them are people who had bad experiences, and others don’t bother writing them. (assuming you’re getting information online), so the reputation seems really bad.</p>
<p>It’s impossible to tell how its going to be until you sign the lease and start living for a while, so you might want to try to get a shorter lease period, if you can. Maybe 6 months, but you might have to pay a little premium. It’s always good to know that you can leave whenever you want, if you need to.</p>
<p>Most management companies are awful, including the one that managed the building my son lived in at college. Fortunately, the building was very new, so things didn’t break much, but they managed to screw up rent paperwork regularly, mishandle reservations for parking spaces, and even lose the mail.</p>
<p>The company that manages my daughter’s very old off-campus building is an exception. They are known for being good landlords, and they have live up to their reputation. They fix things promptly, and my daughter has never complained about any paperwork issues. She will probably never have such a good landlord again in her entire life.</p>
<p>Our son’s apartment has a management company and they are usually slow on coming on calls so being able to fix things yourself can make life easier.</p>
<p>Sounds like you are going in with open eyes regarding the managing company. Here’s what I would look at in the apartment:</p>
<ol>
<li> Wiring-- make sure there are not wires dangling, loose, and unsafe</li>
<li> Windows-- if this is in a city where winters are cold, be sure the windows are not leaky, broken, and rotting out.</li>
<li> Floors-- they should be solid, not springy.</li>
<li> Look for water damage on the ceilings</li>
<li> BED BUGS!!-- try to find out if there ever were any and if so, how were they handled. I would also try to find out what the managing company’s history or policy is regarding their extermination. THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT!!</li>
<li> Each roommate should sign a lease and they should have an open discussion about sharing/paying for utilities. It can get awkward/uncomfortable later.</li>
<li> Appliances-- Fridge, stove, etc. Is there a washer and dryer in the apartment? Close by?
That’s it off the top of my head. If I think of anything else later, I’ll post again. These are things that my daughter needed to consider in her two off-campus apartments.<br></li>
</ol>
<p>Bed bugs were an issue last summer. The girls were really lucky with their landlord who lived in the building and was a solo owner. But this can be a terrible problem.</p>
<p>I suspect that this is sometimes true, particularly with college students who have better things to do with their time that write good reviews.</p>
<p>I think Franglish made some great suggestions and I would add, talk to the management company and ask them what their expectations are in order to get back the security deposit. Keep in mind college students can be very hard on property (ever seen a frat house? ) and a lot of times keeping the deposit is justified. I would consider it a sunk cost and be thrilled if you get anything back. </p>
<p>I remember my college days…honestly, as bad as the management companies can be to deal with, the college students can be equally as hard from the management companies perspective. Roommates who won’t pay on time, roommates who move out in the middle of the semester, people having massive parties causing all sorts of parking and noise issues, the drunk guy who punches a hole in the wall, the student who spills a glass of red wine on the carpet, the one who stuffs so much toilet paper in the toilet it clogs, the one who didn’t know you can’t use liquid hand soap in the dishwasher without causing the dishwasher to overflow. Just saying it cuts both way. There’s a reason we typically start college students out in dorms. :)</p>
<p>Hi OP to improve odds of getting full deposit back take lots of pictures with date stamp to document the apts condition on move in ( send copies to management company and owner if need be). This way if your son & roommate keep the apt in good condition there shouldn’t be a problem getting the deposit back. As far as repairs just keep your fingers crossed nothing major needs fixing but if it does and the management company isn’t responsive your son can contact the owner who after all pays the management company from his rent revenues. I would think the owner would want his investment properly maintained by the management company.</p>
<p>What a funny phrase: “I guess it’s because it’s a college town, these people are just out to get money from college kids.” Sounds more like defining a college, to me. Does this mean unlike landlords elsewhere that are just out to provide free housing? Or unlike doctors that just want to heal(but don’t want paid?), or architechts that just want to be creative(and don’t want paid?)
Capitalism isn’t a crime. It isn’t dirty. Cheating can be both.</p>
<p>My experience is that most people who complain about problems with LL or sec dep deductions either didn’t read or didn’t understand the contract. Hard to feel sorry for those, yet they can unfairly spread a bad rep for the LL.</p>
<p>There are more unscrupulous tenants than landlords, though both exist. Reputations can be deceiving(this and other great issues addressed in post 6). Past tenants have said I was an “unreasonable landlord” when the actual problem was that I expected rent in full on time. Yes, that actually happened in court. But a 3rd party that only heard their side, might have believed them. </p>
<p>So like anyone that enters a contract with anyone else, read the contract, understand it, if there’s something you want changed negotiate it. Then after all is done, honor it.
Take pics immediately upon posession of all damages. Document document</p>
<p>I just take a breath and basically write off the deposit. We lucked out because my D moved out of her apt and some other girls stayed so she got her deposit back since the mgmt co never “inspected” after she left.
But next year, I assume it is toast. If she does get something back then that will be like finding $ in the dryer.
I suggest you just make sure the place is “safe” and not worry about the deposit. Things will work out. And this is a great life lesson. College housing is not supposed to be “the best”. It is college housing…it is a benchmark for all future housing!</p>
<p>One other thing I would recommend is to ask for individual leases by each student who will occupy the apartment, if they’ll do it.</p>
<p>This was the way it was done for S along with his 3 roommates. It REALLY helps protect your student in the event someone (or more than just one person) moves out, reneges on the rent, etc. This happened to my D, TWICE, in another state where there was only a blanket lease for the apartment for all 3 occupants.</p>
<p>It’s a huge burden if the remaining roommates end up having to take care of someone who bails on them. First time it happened, it was for mental health reasons, second time the girl just wanted to live with a boyfriend. They had a very difficult time replacing the roommate in the middle of the semester amd were on the hook for rent, utilities etc until they did.</p>
<p>Check out the apartment and if it seems decent let your son live there. There is no perfect apartment situation. College students are notorious for their poor upkeep. You say nothing about the roommates. They could be the source of more problems than the place itself. You can’t, and shouldn’t, try to know everything about his roommates. You should be sure the apartment management has a mechanism to insure you/your son don’t end up paying for others’ share of the rent/deposits lost. Your son trusts these fellow students- be sure he knows them- not just as the friend of a friend…</p>
<p>At off campus apartments near UW in Madison, WI parents need to cosign the lease- this insures that there is a deeper pocket to pay the rent. Son’s shared apartment management was not known for its kindness- “they may as well have not bothered cleaning for the amount of their deposit not returned- the same as some who didn’t clean”, but knowing what the apartment looked like one week after some had moved in, I wasn’t surprised (any concerns I had about my son being too messy were unfounded by a long shot). The students figured out how much of the rent was owed based on who shared a room or not and the management kept track of the individual payments received so they knew who paid on time or not- son’s rental record was not at risk for others’ behavior. They agreed on which student was responsible for the cable and electric bills and each paid that student who then paid the companies. btw- you can find out monthly bills for gas and electricity from the local utility- helpful in choosing future places. The student whose name was on utility bills was building his credit score. Currently son has his own place, he had researched mangement companies and said his was better. So far so good- I plan to help with cleanup before he moves out…</p>
<p>All of the above said- don’t be too worried. Your son and his friends have checked out the local campus area rental market and found something that likely works as well as it can. Their expectations are not as high as yours and they know what else is out there in their collective budget. They may be lucky that the owner is a recent alumnus so that there is an understanding of college students and hopefully they picked a decent management company to protect their interests as well as the renters. Hopefully the city the campus is located in has regulations to protect renters- if so you can relax even more. College area management companies often have many addendas to the standard lease used in the city- covering such things as noise complaints, keg parties and other things to make it easier to avoid problems. It is good for the owner to make use of a mangement company’s expertise.</p>
<p>It is scary to leave the security of the known college rules. However, this is actually a good situation. Your son will have his first rental in a known location, sharing with others to get used to apartment life and obligations (I would have worried about my son remembering to pay utilities and other details, his shared experience gave him the knowledge to handle things well on his own) and he is in a known lifestyle as a continuing student.</p>
<p>I would make copies of your son’s rental agreement paperwork- he needs his copy but it could be useful to have your own. I would also get the full names of the roommates and their parents along with the parents’ addresses. You need to let your son take charge of the details such as whose name the cable and other bills are in, their cleaning arrangements, room choice and other things. You can use your household mangement expertise to offer suggestions and supplies. I know I volunteered an old set of pots and pans plus other stuff from when we had a vacation condo (I had doubles and this was a great excuse for me to get a new set that could stay in good condition) plus other things. Others had things they could bring. I’ll bet between all of the mothers they had more than enough cleaning supplies- especially learning how often they likely used them. It works out if each student comes with a pack of toilet paper and other disposables- they share and then decide how to replace when the time comes.</p>
<p>You have to do some more letting go. Don’t be disappointed if the apartment your son is excited about doesn’t meet standards for your place to live. You can offer suggestions but your son will do as he sees fit. Son’s dorm rooms and apartments have generally been no parent zones- the nearby campus bathroom was a cleaner place to use… Let him have his privacy as much as possible. Another nonacademic college learning experience for him that will pay off in the future.</p>
<p>You guys are all right…I think I am expecting too much as a mom for a son’s college apartment. Son liked the apartment and we got to meet the owner himself…so things worked out pretty well. The apartment wasn’t as much as my son had hoped it would be (it was smaller, and he wasn’t a huge fan of the carpet) but for the price and location, it couldn’t be beat. He figures he’ll just buy rugs since we doubt the owner would change the flooring. My HS daughter strongly disliked the apartment though, so I guess when we visit we’ll be staying in hotels…!</p>
<p>Thanks for all the tips! I did a very thorough inspection myself since the place was vacant and everything seems to be pretty well maintained for a college apartment. I’ll be sure to make copies of the lease and read over it multiple times with the son. Thanks again! This place is a haven for parents like me.</p>
) and a lot of times keeping the deposit is justified. I would consider it a sunk cost and be thrilled if you get anything back. </p>