Empty promises among student housing

Reading Time: 3 minutes problems with student contracts in orem. here are also some stories about some students that had problems with their landlords in the past and the issue of the contracts not being able to be sold because of females going on missions and student housi

Reading Time: 3 minutes
By Rinamay Lopez,
@rinamaylopez

College students come to school with a million expectations. Having problems with their apartment landlord is not one of them.

There seem to have been many issues in the past few months with student housing, with landlords seemingly playing victim, leaving students to pay outrageous fees and stuck in their contracts. A large number of students are dissatisfied with their apartment complexes for a variety of reasons.

“I had a really bad experience at Old Mill,” said student Teresa Belliard. “My landlord promised me I could move to a different apartment and I wouldn’t have to pay deposit. I ended up having to pay the deposit and an extra fee for moving in early.”

Many student housing complexes around Orem and Provo have a reputation for promising students a great time and a great deal.

“[The Riviera Apartments] give false impressions and will say anything to motivate you to sign up, but will do nothing to help you out once you are stuck in a contract,” said student Josh David.

Before most students arrive at school, they have already planned where to live, paid a deposit and signed a contract, agreeing to abide by the rules. Many of these contracts include honor codes for each tenant to sign when they move in. While most students do their best to keep their end of their contract, it seems that many landlords may not be.

”It’s ironic that we have to sign an honor code when they are so dishonest,” said Hillary Hartwight, a tenant at the Riviera Apartments in Orem.

One concern right now are female tenants trying to sell their contracts. In October, the LDS Church announced female missionaries could serve missions at age 19. Since the announcement, a large number of women have been trying to sell their contracts.

“I really don’t see how it’s our fault that girls are going on missions,” said student Katie Palmer. “If we wanna sell them, [housing] shouldn’t put all these barriers.”

One apartment complex said they are not worried about the increase of female student going on missions. In fact, they are willing to help student sell their contracts.

“BYU said they will keep their enrollment numbers the same, so it shouldn’t affect us,” said Catherine Turner, manager at the Riviera Apartments.

Though the management at student apartments are willing to help sell these contracts, a fee is charged. There is no guarantee they will sell the contract and students have to keep in mind that if its hard to sell for students, it’s harder for management. Students have the benefit of advertising their contract through social media for free.

Other students feel that housing complexes neglect to give student all the information they need upfront about complex rules, including parking rules.

“When I sign up for my contract, they said about 11:00 p.m., but said nothing about game days,” said student Josh David. “They neglected to tell me about game days and my friend got towed. when I told the Riviera about it, they refused to help me.”

The Ombudsman at UVU is a resource provided for students who may be able to aid in student housing issues. The Ombudsman’s Office is located in Student Center room 107.