Landlords give advice for first-time renters

Last week, Pitt junior Aziza Khalil began the apartment hunt in hopes of moving off campus her… Last week, Pitt junior Aziza Khalil began the apartment hunt in hopes of moving off campus her senior year.

Khalil currently lives in Bouquet Gardens, but she and her roommates hope to rent a four- or five-bedroom house next year. Their criteria: a laundry room in the house and a South Oakland location no further from campus than Parkview Avenue. However, the group of girls has met some difficulty.

“A lot of landlords aren’t showing until January,” she said.

With two of Khalil’s roommates going abroad next semester, the January date poses a problem for the prospective renters. But according to local landlords, it’s normal for students to begin contacting landlords and touring off-campus apartments fresh off of winter break — in fact, they recommend it.

Suzanne Narcini, a Pitt alumna and primary leasing agent for E.S. Management, said in an email that the rental season starts with the new year, adding that apartments rent quickly, especially if they’re nice. E.S. Management rents housing in Squirrel Hill, Oakland, Dormont, Downtown and Shadyside.

Narcini said that representatives from E.S. Management don’t rent until January, but interested students can tour Oakland apartment buildings beginning next week. She said that this gives current tenants time to decide if they want to renew their leases or move out.

For students looking to move to surrounding neighborhoods like Shadyside, South Side and Squirrel Hill, Narcini said that she recommends looking for an apartment between February and March.

Despite setbacks, Khalil plans to keep looking for a house before break. She said that she has found one property that meets her and her roommates’ criteria, but they all want to see more options in an effort to avoid getting

“ripped-off.”

“We’re not really sure what’s normal for landlords to offer,” Khalil said, noting a common pricing predicament among first-time renters.

When it comes to first-time renters, Steve Glickman, owner and landlord of Glickman Real Estate, has some advice.

He said that students should make sure their new landlords are flexible with their leases, just in case something comes up and a tenant needs to get out of one.

To avoid problems with landlords, Glickman said that interested renters should discuss their prospective landlord’s reputation with his or her current tenants.

Students also need to know the responsibilities of the landlord — responsibilities that vary among management companies. Glickman said that landlords generally fix broken items in their apartments but beyond that, it depends. Sometimes clogged drains fall under the landlord’s responsibilities, and other times a backed-up shower is the tenants’ responsibility.

“I think most of the major landlords, despite the bad press, are fair and responsible,” he said. “We try to be good guys.”

For students renting with E.S. Management, Narcini said that tenants who neglect their spaces or break their contracts with the company should expect to pay out-of-pocket expenses. With broken leases, E.S. Management charges tenants monthly rent and utilities until their apartment is rented by another tenant.

“We highly recommend not signing a lease if you have intentions of breaking that agreement,” Narcini said.

Leases typically run for 12 months, usually starting Aug. 1 around Oakland. Short-term leases increase the rental rate, and all tenants are equally and individually liable for the apartment they are renting.

Pitt’s Office of Off-Campus Living exists to help students find off-campus accomodations. The office offers guidelines for renters, including a

Renter’s Guide and checklist, cost and lease guides and a list of tenant rights. The website includes apartment listings, neighborhood descriptions and a subletting service.

In addition to dealing with possible landlord and lease issues, senior Alex Lee advised renters to look into setting up utilities before their actual move-in dates.

“I remember when I moved in, I didn’t have electricity or Internet for about two weeks because I couldn’t set [utilities] up,” he said. By waiting until a week before he moved in, he didn’t give the utility providers enough time to get the apartment ready before he arrived.

Narcini said that her tenants are responsible for setting up their own utilities when they rent apartments, and they should keep that in mind before they move in.

“Once you live on your own, you begin to realize why mom and dad always told you to turn the lights off when you leave a room,” she said.

E.S. Management tenants pay about $50 to $60 on average for gas, about $30 to $50 on average for electric and a flat fee for water which is $20 per month, according to Narcini. Cable and Internet also create an additional cost, which usually adds about $40 to the renter’s expenses. These averages can fluctuate since utility costs vary depending on the time of year and tenant conservation.

Narcini said that students should consider average utility costs, types of heating system, maintenance response, smoking in buildings and the like when they look for their apartments.  

Rent for apartments and houses in Oakland usually ranges anywhere from $500 to $1,100 per month, depending on standard of living, whether or not the space is shared and if the apartment has been recently renovated.

As a rule of thumb, Narcini said that rent should only be about 25 percent of a person’s income. Since students generally do not have substantial credit or income during college, it’s usually required that any applicant under the age of 25 have a cosigner.

Narcini said that other important off-campus housing factors include the age and quality of a building’s windows, the cleanliness of the building overall and if the hot water tank is shared by multiple units.

These rules and responsibilities that come with renting might seem heavy, but for Lee, the best thing about living off campus is having something of his own. Interestingly enough, that’s the hardest part, too.

“That is like a double-edged sword, because it’s your own and that means everything falls upon you also. So it’s about your responsibilities,” he said.