Off-Campus Living Office teaming up with city inspectors

Already an established source of suggestions and assistance for first-time and veteran… Already an established source of suggestions and assistance for first-time and veteran off-campus dwellers, Pitt’s Off-Campus Living Office continues to offer copious resources for renters.

And soon, with the help of the City Bureau of Building Inspections, the office may make rental life a lot more livable.

Off-Campus Living currently provides students with maps, landlord listings, a printable apartment checklist, a roommate-matching forum and neighborhood descriptions to help navigate the rentals market.

They also work in tandem with the City Bureau of Building Inspections by categorizing their rental listings according to whether the housing is University-owned, city-inspected or not inspected.

If a rental has not been inspected, it does not mean that it wouldn’t pass if it were.

“Landlords for some of these properties have elected not to participate in Off-Campus Living’s non-mandatory, city-inspected incentive program, however, that does not imply that these units are out of compliance or undesirable places to live,” the Off-Campus Living website says.

However, after a new City Council bill was passed last month, students could find that only rentals with proper inspection certificates will be listed by Off-Campus Living as early as July.

The Residential Housing Rental Permit Program is a bill that hopes to make regular inspections of rental units compulsory for landlords.

The bill came about through the city’s recognition of “the need for a registration program for residential rental units located within the City in order to ensure rental units meet all applicable building, existing structures, fire, health, safety and zoning codes and to provide an efficient system for compelling both absentee landlords to correct violations and maintain, in proper condition, rental property within the city.”

Kevin Stiles, manager of the Housing Resource Center – part of Off-Campus Living – estimates that Pitt has roughly 27,000 full- and part-time students on the Oakland campus, and approximately 8,000 live in the residence halls.

While Off-Campus Living does not know how many of the remaining 19,000 Pitt students live in their own houses or apartments as opposed to living with their families, the change in requirements mandated by the Residential Housing Rental Permit Program bill could ostensibly affect the quality of life of a large portion of the student population.

“I believe that the majority of apartments available for lease in Oakland have not been inspected,” Stiles said. “I believe that the biggest deterrent to landlords’ participation in the inspection program is supply and demand. There is an ever-increasing demand for student rentals while the supply stays mainly the same.”

Wayne Bossinger, of the City Bureau of Building Inspections, thinks there are different factors that help landlords make the choice as to whether or not to get their units inspected.

“There’s a fee involved, and being as it’s voluntary, many landlords don’t feel the need,” Bossinger said.

So why would they?

“It’s a marketing tool,” he said. “Some landlords feel their property will be easier to let if they get it certified by us.”

Until the bill comes into effect, Stiles advises students to be smart and informed when seeking a rental and someone to share it with.

“If a certain right or responsibility is not addressed in the lease, request that it is before you sign the document. Use a checklist when you look at apartments. If there is confusion about a lease issue once it’s signed, don’t assume that the landlord will be unreasonable. Many problems can be resolved with communication.”

It may also be a good idea to consult a mental checklist when searching for a roommate.

“All of the listings [on the roommate website] are reviewed for content and appropriateness before they are posted,” Stiles said.

But there isn’t much more involvement from Off-Campus Living than that.

“It is the student’s responsibility to meet their potential roommates and inspect the apartments before they make commitments.”