Seeing is Believing
Bloomington has a lot of rental units and more are being built each day. Signing a lease for an apartment that hasn’t been built yet, or renting based on just seeing a model, carries some risk. Make sure that you get to see the exact unit you are going to be living in. Beware of leases that leave it up to the landlord where you are going to live.
Don’t Believe the Hype
Landlords like other merchants, are allowed to make claims in their advertising that they don’t necessarily have to deliver on. Most leases will have a clause that says the lease is the entire agreement and the tenant understands that no oral promises are binding. Statements from agents like, “Oh we never enforce that,” or “That clause has just always been in there,” probably won’t protect you later on. Units get sold and managers change.
The Numbers Game
Every rental unit has a maximum number of tenants. The maximum is usually three, though some older units may go higher. You need to make sure that you don’t have more people living in the unit than it’s rated for; the fine from the City can be up to $2500 a day! If five of you are going to rent a place and the landlord only wants three to sign the lease, look out. Check with the City’s Housing and Neighborhood Development (HAND) office before you sign.
Do Your Homework
HAND maintains a file on every rental unit within the City of Bloomington’s limits. Before you sign a lease, you may want to go over there and take a look at the file for your proposed unit. You can find out about previous complaints, maintenance problems, and what the occupancy limits are. Student Legal Services (SLS) is happy to go over your proposed lease with you before you sign. Remember that in Indiana, there’s no “cooling off” period, you don’t have three days to cancel, etc. You’re bound as soon as you sign.
Parking
Parking is a problem everywhere in Bloomington, both on and off campus. Sometimes the lease is silent on parking, sometimes you have to get a sticker from the landlord, sometimes for an extra fee. Find out whether you have to park on the street and whether you have to get a City sticker. Don’t just assume parking is provided.
It All Adds Up
Many students move off campus because they think living in an apartment is cheaper than living in the dorms. Often it is. Sometimes it isn’t. There are many more expenses than rent. You need to factor in food, utilities (unless the landlord pays for them), cable, parking, trash pick-up, etc. If the lease is silent, usually the tenant pays. Find out up front.
Read the Fine Print (And it’s All Fine Print)
The lease controls almost everything. Indiana has significantly fewer protections by statute and ordinance than many other places around the country. The law assumes that you’ve thoroughly read, studied and understand the lease. So if the lease says “no pets,” the rental agent saying “Oh we never enforce that” could lead to trouble. Every change or deviation from the preprinted lease needs to be in writing. Get and keep a copy of the signed lease. Almost assuredly, your lease is going to be for a year. Graduating, leaving school or getting a job in another state isn’t going to get you out of the lease. Bring your lease into SLS before you sign and we’ll explain each and every provision.
Pick Your Roommates with Care
Half of all marriages end in divorce and presumably those folks are putting a great deal of thought into it. You really never do know someone until you live with them. Almost every lease makes all of the tenants “jointly and severally liable.” That means all of the tenants are responsible for everything. If one tenant doesn’t pay their rent on time, the others are responsible too. The landlord can go after everyone or just the ones most likely to be able to pay.
Leave it Better Than You Found It
Do a thorough move-in inspection as soon after you take possession as possible. Note every hole in the wall, stain on the carpet, crack in the glass and every other discrepancy, no matter how minor. Taking pictures is not too much. You can bet that in a year, during the move-out inspection, the landlord will note every problem, and will fix them with your security deposit. Really clean the place when you leave so that it’s better than when you got it.
Talk Isn’t Cheap
The key to good relations with both roommates and landlords is good communication. Little problems become big problems when they are left to fester. Report maintenance issues as soon as they come up; maintenance problems don’t fix themselves. And an annoying leak around the bathtub today will be water damages to the sub-flooring a month from now. Set up with roommates who is going to pay the bills and when, designate chores, and don’t let personality problems get out of control. Talk it out.
Useful Information
Some phone numbers that might come in handy:
Housing and Neighborhood Development 349-3401
Housing Code Enforcement 349-3420
IU Community Legal Clinic 855-9229
IU Student Advocates 855-0761
IU Protective Order Project 855-9229
Middle Way House 333-7404
Legal Services Organization 339-7668
Renters’ Rights Project:
http://home.bluemarble.net/~sfcowling/
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