Rental woes solved with learning

Spring semester has just begun, but it's already time to think about houses, apartments, leasing contracts and where to live next year. First-time renters can look to an abundance of resources at IU as well as in Bloomington.\nFor students who don't know where to begin, Student Legal Services is working to inform them of their rights when it comes to renting.\nStacee Evans, a staff attorney at SLS, said seeking legal advice is important when it comes to renting because Indiana law is not very "tenant friendly."\n"Tenants in Indiana don't have a lot of rights compared to more urban areas," Evans said.\nBecause of the lack of tenant protection laws, Evans has been spending the beginning of spring semester speaking at residence halls about issues students need to keep in mind when signing a lease.\nEvans said the most important thing to keep in mind is once the lease is signed there is no way to back out.\n"When you sign a lease in Indiana, it's a contract," she said. "You're bound as soon as you sign."\nTo prevent any post-signing regret, Evans offers a list of tips potential renters should keep in mind before they sign.\nWith all of the construction happening in Bloomington, Evans said a major problem with renting is making sure the unit will be ready when the tenant is ready to move in.\n"A lot of times students will sign a lease on an apartment that hasn't been built yet. It seems like a great prospect, so they sign the lease. Then, sometimes, when they arrive on move-in day, the unit still isn't completed," Evans said.\nOne way to prevent this is to see the actual unit before signing the lease. If the leasing agent is upfront about the unit's need for completion, Evans said it is essential to outline the completion date in the lease.\nSeeing the unit will also give the tenant an idea of what he or she is actually renting. Evans said most "show units" are just that -- units for show -- and it's important a tenant knows what the unit looks like after the wear and tear of previous tenants.\nSophomore Chelsa Tinkham also said seeing a show unit can cause problems when planning furniture arrangements. \n"We thought that we would have more wall space, but we ended up having more windows than the model, so we had to figure out a different way to arrange the furniture," Tinkham said. "We couldn't really put a big TV in front of a window."\nEvans said it's also essential for renters to check out the leasing companies from which they are planning to rent. Bloomington's Housing and Neighborhood Development Department keeps files on every leasing agent in the city, and any complaints made by former tenants are public record, said Evans. \nMany people are not aware of this service.\nSophomore Tristan Mathews was unaware he could check with HAND before signing a lease. \n"We've had a lot of problems this semester," he said, "and if I would have seen that somebody had as many problems as we've had, I probably would have looked at more houses before signing the lease."\nEvans said students should also take extra care in cleaning when it comes time to move out of rented properties. She suggests tenants "leave it better than they found it."\n"Landlords are very careful when doing move-out inspections, but they don't care so much at move-in inspections because, in their minds, the property is ready to move into," said Evans.\nIn order to avoid losing a big chunk of the security deposit, Evans said it's important to thoroughly check everything and fill out the inspection form in detail, noting each and every problem the landlord may notice during move-out. She also suggests taking pictures or video of the property before moving in.\n"It sounds really picky, but you'll be glad you did it," Evans said.\nLinda Brown, property manager for CS Property Management which leases apartments in Stadium View Apartments as well as 11 other locations, notes the importance of cleaning before moving out and removing all personal belongings.\nThe condition of the carpet and walls is also important during move-out inspections, Brown said.\n"(We check for) burn holes or candle wax on carpets," she said. "We do allow our residents to hang pictures on the wall, as long as they don't leave a hole as big as a quarter they're not charged for that."\nEvans said a good way to avoid high damage costs at move-out time is to keep communication lines open with landlords and to inform them immediately of any maintenance issues.\nFinally, Evans notes the importance of knowing the other tenants on the lease well enough to trust them -- not only because living together is a big step, but also because all tenants are usually responsible for one another in Bloomington.\n"Consider carefully who you're choosing because when you sign a lease in Bloomington 90 percent of the time each of you is responsible for each other," Evans said. "If you sign a lease with people who are responsible, they'll be more likely to find a subletter or continue to pay rent in the event that they need to move out."\nEvans said choosing roommates carefully is essential because a bad roommate match can spoil even the most perfect housing conditions.\n"If you pick the wrong people it can be a disaster," Evans said. "You never really know anyone until you live with them"