Apartment-hunting season starts after break

After finals week comes a new worry for many Pitt students — finding a place to live.

But… After finals week comes a new worry for many Pitt students — finding a place to live.

But while getting an A might be out of reach for some students, landing a great apartment or house doesn’t have to be: Pitt offers a host of resources for students looking to move off campus, including the Off Campus Living office.

According to the Off-Campus Living website, this office provides overviews of rental information to aid students in finding appropriate off-campus units — both University owned and otherwise — as well as becoming a knowledgeable tenant.

Off-Campus Living owns about 300 apartment units in Oakland and Shadyside.

Kevin Stiles, manager of leasing and support in the Department of Property Management, said Off-Campus Living has been open since the early 1990s.

The OCL website supplies students with checklists, an overview of tenants’ rights, a roommate-matching forum and explanations of basic rental information, such as analyzing a lease.

Students are encouraged to stop by the office at 127 North Bellefield Ave. to ask questions, use the computers or telephones, pick up hard copies of information or meet with a staff member for personal advice on moving off campus. The OCL office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

But before students start hunting for the perfect apartment, they need to plan ahead.

“Students need to decide their parameters (location, size, budget, etc.) and allow a reasonable amount of time to inspect possible units and meet with landlords,” Stiles said in an e-mail.

Students looking to live off campus during the fall semester of 2011 should begin searching for off campus accommodations soon.

OCL will begin accepting applications for University-owned apartments beginning the second Monday in January on a first-come, first-served basis, according to its Web site.

Landlords will also begin showing off-campus apartments early next semester.

“Students should be asking their friends and classmates where they live and if they are happy. For the fall semester, landlords will typically start showing apartments in early spring,” Stiles said.

Steve Glickman, owner of Glickman Real Estate Development, said he will begin showing his apartments in January or February.

Glickman said he advises prospective students to converse with current tenants living in his apartments. It is the most advantageous way for students to learn of a landlord’s reputation, he said.

Glickman prides himself on being “student-oriented.”

“We hold their hand,” Glickman said.

The OCL web site provides students with an overview of information on how to decode implications and understand the various sections of apartment leases.

For example, if a tenant disagrees with a part of the lease, they should abstain from signing it. The lease can be modified with mutual agreement from both the tenant and landlord. However, changes to a lease must be written and then signed by both parties. Modifications made orally will not change the regulations on a lease.

The agreement on rules and regulations from both parties on a lease is important in the relationship between tenants and landlords.

“The majority of complaints can be attributed to breakdowns in communication between landlords and tenants. It is important for each party to understand their rights and responsibilities when leasing an apartment,” Stiles said in an e-mail.

The office’s site also provides students with a printable “Renters’ Checklist” of “Questions to ask the landlord,” “Things to learn about the facility locale and amenities,” as well as “Safety and Security” questions.

The office tries to accommodate each student who seeks help from their resources.

“I have never heard of a student that wanted to rent an apartment but could not find any,” Stiles said.

Although OCL provides Pitt students with many off-campus housing resources, they do not administer legal advice.

“We refer students to the SGB, who oversees a program that gives students access to legal advice,” Stiles said in an e-mail.

He issues advice to students prospectively looking to move off campus in the future: “Read your lease carefully. Ask questions and don’t make assumptions. Become informed and trust your instincts.”

Pitt junior Laura Greenfield has lived in a University-owned unit on Meyran Avenue in South Oakland for a year and a half.

“It’s helpful to have someone that is the head person in control. We also set it up where everyone is responsible for at least one bill so the responsibilities are shared,” Greenfield said.