Housing Resource offers help to Pitt students

Students interested in moving off campus have a free on-campus resource to go to for advice… Students interested in moving off campus have a free on-campus resource to go to for advice about apartment hunting.

That aid is the Housing Resource Center, which “guides students to make informed choices in their housing selection,” according to Kevin Stiles, who works for Pitt’s Department of Property Management.

It exists to help Pitt students locate and rent off-campus housing.

“The HRC provides information on apartments and neighborhoods, landlords and realtors, roommates and sublets, as well as rental tips, housing costs, short-term accommodations, renter’s insurance, and much more,” the HRC’s Web site said.

Stiles recommended that students look at the information-packed Web site before leasing an apartment.

“Currently, the Web site provides many housing guides and checklists, encouraging students to be aware of the health, life-safety issues and to specifically look for smoke detectors, fire extinguishers [and] adequate electrical service,” Stiles said.

The Renter’s Checklist is just one of the many housing sources available. It offers many questions for apartment-hunting students to ask a landlord. Such questions include “Are there ample wall outlets?” and “Are there any signs of water damage around water fixtures or on the ceiling?”

The Apartment Inspection Checklist is another useful guide. This checklist specifies many different criteria for students to accurately judge the condition of a building’s exterior, entrance, living area, utilities and fire safety.

The HRC offers advice related to roommate selection as well.

One of these services is the Roommate Matching Listings, which is simply a list of people looking for roommates. The listing is available online or in the HRC office, which is located at 127 North Bellefield Ave.

Some students who already have apartments are looking for people to live with them under stated conditions. Such circumstances may be that a roommate is only needed for one semester or that the person must be a nonsmoker.

Other students put up listings saying that they need a roommate as well as a place to live. These entries can include basic background information about the person who posted it and what he is looking for in a roommate.

Nathan Mason, who posted a listing on Jan. 15, has had good results from using the service.

“I got more hits in [a] week from there than two months on craigslist,” Mason said.

After having about 10 people contact him within a week, Mason has found someone to sublet his room to.

If someone is not sure if he has selected a good roommate, whether he found the person through a listing or is best friends with the person, he can use the HRC’s online resource of Selecting a Roommate.

“Selecting a roommate or apartment mate is not as critical as finding your life’s companion, but it shouldn’t be like a blind date either,” the Web site advises. “No roommate will be perfect, but a bad one will grow more annoying and frustrating over time and can cause long-lasting problems.”

This list points out many aspects to consider, such as a person’s study and living habits.

“It may seem trivial at first, but small things like leaving dirty dishes for days, drinking milk out of the carton, or not flushing the toilet can become very irritating over time,” the Web site said.

Even though the HRC already offers many aids for students, it is currently undergoing some changes to become a better resource, according to Stiles. He said that a committee has been established to evaluate the HRC services.

The committee is assessing many options that could be useful to students, such as forming a legal service to address housing in Oakland and surrounding areas. It is also thinking of creating an online student survey, where students will be able to share information about landlords in the area.

Whatever new services come about, the HRC’s goal is to educate students so that they can make wise choices, according to Stiles.

“We strongly recommend that students utilize the HRC’s Web site and printed materials to assist them in their search for safe, affordable and adequate housing,” Stiles said.