Property Leasing 101 will not be in the Course Offering Directory anytime soon at the University, but sooner or later first-year students will need to move out of the dorms, and find a new place to live. That time is approaching too quickly for some who find the process overwhelming and complicated.
"I have some friends that have already secured houses near Chancellor Street," said first-year College student Reg Jones. But unlike his friends, Jones said he does not feel ready to take that plunge. "I think that it's really early to make that decision," he said. "I don't think I understand the process."
This year, students like Jones will have two new options to help search for houses and apartments off Grounds.
These new services - the private online corporation offGROUNDS.com, and the Cavalier Tenant Association, sponsored by the Student Council Housing Committee, are providing new resources to students looking to move off Grounds.
OffGROUNDS.com links students directly with Charlottesville property managers, while the Housing Committee and Cavalier Tenant Association strive to educate students how to go about the off-Grounds search process, from signing a lease to being a good neighbor.
Many upperclassmen can empathize with Jones's struggle to find off-Grounds housing. Third-year College student Kristen Mitchell remembers her first experience dealing with off-Grounds housing.
"There were so many things to look into," she said. Cable service, Internet access and the cost of living were only some of the issues Mitchell and her roommates have dealt with since they moved from Lambeth Field to Preston Square Apartments this fall.
First-year College student Ree Snyder said she felt better informed after using offGROUNDS.com. After Snyder checked the new online service, she said she felt more prepared to find an apartment after years of leading a "sheltered life."
Both new services attempt to make the process of finding a house or apartment off Grounds less stressful than it has been for students in the past.
Filling the void
Students today cannot remember a time when the University helped them find off-Grounds housing. Seven or eight years ago, the Housing Division eliminated its Off-Grounds Information Center, University Housing Director Mark Doherty said.
"It was an expense for us to bear" that was free advertising for property managers, Doherty said.
At the time, Doherty said, he contacted both Student Council and the Graduate Student Council to see if they would take up the project, neither group was interested.
However, after seven years without University assistance, many students noticed something missing.
Jason Bordainick and Katherine Martini were both second-year students living off Grounds when they decided to do something about the lack of information.
For Martini, the motivation was safety. After a student was attacked and raped in a 17th St. apartment last August, Martini was disturbed.
"If you're not safe in your own house, you're not safe anywhere," she said.
She said her concerns with safety led her to get in touch with Student Council representative Nathan Cook, who was chair of the Student Council Housing Committee. Council formed a committee dedicated to housing when Cook suggested separating housing from the former Parking, Transportation and Housing Committee, so that housing would receive the proper attention it deserved.
Before the committees were split "nothing ever happened with housing," Martini said.
Over the summer, Martini and Cook announced that the Housing Committee would form the Cavalier Tenant Association to deal specifically with the concerns of students living off Grounds. They also began planning a link for the association from the Council Web site, Cook said.
Start-up
Jason Bordainick, who developed the other new service, offGROUNDS.com, also was prompted by events last year to act.
A running injury left Bordainick unable to compete on the track team, but when the Commerce School sponsored a business plan contest, Bordainick decided to use the time he would have put into track to develop a plan aimed at helping students find off-Grounds housing.
Bordainick won the contest with his proposal, and armed with the $250 prize and a loan from a family member, Bordainick began to negotiate the issues of starting a business.
He contacted a lawyer, bought eGenuity, the business name, and filed the official Virginia papers to register it with the state.
Then he began to call landlords. At first "they said they didn't need any Internet thing," Bordainick said. Once he got the first few on board though, the rest soon followed.
Bordainick said he never doubted the site would catch on because "it's easy to use. [The property managers] can edit their information on the site themselves."
He added that about 30 Charlottesville managers such as Management Services Corporation and Godfrey Property Management currently use his Web site to attract potential renters.
Property managers said they already have seen the benefits of Bordainick's brainchild.
"We've received several hits from them already," said Woodard Properties leasing consultant Kathy Kerby. "I think that's good; students can see everything that's out there."
Although the site puts him head to head with his competition, Don Godfrey of Godfrey Property Management said "we're all trying to help the kids" make an informed housing decision.
Facilitating discussion
The Cavalier Tenant Association Web site, scheduled to be up today, aims to put into understandable language information for students before they sign up for off-Grounds housing, Martini said.
The Web site will provide information on signing a lease, safety, being a good neighbor and how to deal with a difficult landlord.
"We want to facilitate students being able to talk about their landlords," Cook said.
Eventually, Cook and Martini said they hope to include a way for students to submit questions to Student Legal Services, which can provide legal advice to students, something neither offGROUNDS.com nor the Cavalier Tenant Association is qualified to do.
Student Legal Services was set up in 1972 by Student Council to advise students on legal matters or to represent them in court if necessary.
"About 30 percent of our cases are landlord/tenant related," Student Legal Services lawyer Lester Wilson said.
Recently he has been the only resource to help students complaining of poor apartment conditions, broken appliances, leaky roofs and deposits that have not been returned.
Bright future
The Cavalier Tenant Association has other activities planned for this year in addition to the Web site. On Oct. 18, the Housing Committee will represent a neutral force at the Housing Fair, an annual event sponsored by University Programs Council when Charlottesville property managers come to the University to encourage students to live in their buildings, Martini said.
"We hope to work with the landlords for the benefit of everyone," Martini said. She said she hopes the relationship will "not be us versus them."
Eventually Martini said she hopes the Cavalier Tenant Association will work not only with Student Legal Services, but with the city of Charlottesville, the Charlottesville Tenants associations and the Blue Ridge Apartment Council.
At a recent Housing Committee meeting, members discussed the future of the Cavalier Tenant Association.
Eventually the Cavalier Tenant Association will separate itself from the Student Council Housing Committee. The Housing Committee will still exist to deal with issues like on-Grounds housing, Martini said.
The future of the Cavalier Tenant Association is less definite. Depending on its membership, it could develop into an advocacy group for students, or a more administrative resource group, Council members said at the meeting.
Bordainick said he has big plans for the future of his site as well. Although he would not comment specifically, he said he has spoken with students from about five other Virginia schools about starting an similar service at their schools.
"It's always been my dream to start a business," said Bordainick. "I'm a competitive kind of guy."
Eventually he hopes to make money from advertising on the site, as well as possibly charging property owners to post their properties online.
For the short term, Bordainick said he will concentrate on making the site more user-friendly, including other features such as message boards with class evaluations, where to find used furniture and even parties.
"College students move every year," he said, and "they use the Internet. Here you get all the listings"
Read More
Board of Visitors Finance Committee hears presentation on budget process
By Cecilia Mould | 3 days agoThe Committee will review and vote on the budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year when the full Board reconvenes for its June meeting.
Police forcefully clear encampment near University Chapel, detain protesters
By Thomas Baxter and Finn Trainer | 5 days agoThe University declared the encampment an unlawful assembly at 2:44 p.m.
Student Council passes appointment bill, approves new CIOs at final meeting of semester
By Arshiya Pant | 6 days agoMendoza Gonzalez also said she will be meeting with Kenyon R. Bonner, vice president and chief student affairs officer, to discuss further strategies for the Student Council Endowment Fund.
