Editorial: Under new policy, dorms really no different

‘ ‘ ‘ City Council is debating whether or not dormitories should be included under a new rental… ‘ ‘ ‘ City Council is debating whether or not dormitories should be included under a new rental property registration policy, which requires a $12 fee to be paid for each housing unit rented out, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. ‘ ‘ ‘ The money produced aims largely to improve building inspection and safety code enforcement. ‘ ‘ ‘ It’s true that dormitories operate differently than off-campus apartments and houses. Students living in dorms don’t sign a formal lease agreement and don’t have landlords. Yet dorms provide the same basic service to their inhabitants: They’re a place to live. As opposed to monthly dues, Pitt students residing in dorms pay a rental fee each semester. ‘ ‘ ‘ Keeping the basic function in mind, the dormitory is not very different from the apartment building, and Pitt’s dorms should be subject to the city’s $12 rental property charge. ‘ ‘ ‘ From the wealth of dorms located in the Schenley Quadrangle to those on top of the hill, Pitt has a sizeable number of students living on campus. One dorm room is considered one unit, and Pitt has 4,731 total rooms. Under the fee, the sum generated from all the rooms combined approaches $60,000. ‘ ‘ ‘ Especially in our economically downtrodden times, this is no small fare for the University. To pay for it, perhaps the University would tack on the cost to the bill students pay for living on campus. Distributed evenly, the supplemental fee would be $12 at most for any student living in a dorm. At $12, the charge is reasonable. The fee should have a cap, however, so it is never raised beyond a reasonable amount. ‘ ‘ ‘ No one likes having to pay more money, yet both students and the University itself would likely have easier times negotiating this rental fee compared to some owners of apartments. ‘ ‘ ‘ Private owners of off-campus student housing potentially could have to cover the new fee by themselves. Should a landowner possess more than a few units, the cost may quickly add up. ‘ ‘ ‘ If the policy did not include dormitories, it would be difficult to figure out where to draw the line as to who should be exempt. For example, do nursing homes qualify as apartment buildings? Nursing homes offer a function beyond merely providing a place to live. But their primary purpose is to provide a living place ‘mdash; the care supplied supplements the basic function. ‘ ‘ ‘ Undoubtedly this policy and subsequent fee wasn’t engendered specifically with dorms in mind. The University makes sure Pitt’s dormitories are well maintained and that their building codes are up to date, save the occasional malfunctioning drinking fountain. But should University dorms not be included, City Council might look like it’s playing favorites, and Pitt might be cast in a bad light as a result. ‘ ‘ ‘ The University doesn’t want to be seen as an uncooperative member of the community, and even though the new fee likely wasn’t a result of the condition of the schools’ dorms, Pitt should bear its equal burden of the policy.