As University students and administrators lobby local realtors to push back lease-signing dates, Charlottesville landlords say they are hesitant to comply unless all rental companies can reach a consensus for the earliest date at which students can sign leases.
Following a March 26 meeting with University students and administrators, area landlords expressed concern over problems securing leases at later dates.
Stadium Properties Owner Richard Ward, whose property primarily is located in the Jefferson Park Avenue area, said his company usually rents out 90 percent of its places before Nov. 1 and 98 percent by Thanksgiving.
The benefits of securing leases early are clear to landlords.
"It takes uncertainty away from us," Ward said.
Landlords said they would be willing to push back their signing dates if a universal date was set throughout many rental companies.
"The general consensus is if everyone were on the same time schedule, it would be more acceptable," said Joy Waring, property manager for Woodard Properties. "It's difficult to say that we'll wait until January to sign people if another company starts in September or October."
Ward said he doesn't foresee any widespread agreement among property owners.
"It's a competitive market so I'm not sure what can be done," Ward said. "I wouldn't want to see anyone get a jump on our company -- if they sign early then we miss out on rent."
Consumers, not landlords, are the main driving force behind the competitive lease-signing process.
"As was mentioned by several companies, we are market driven," Charlottesville Apartments Owner John Crafaik said. "We just have a sign that says 'Charlottesville Apartments' and people come knocking -- it's not like we're going out saying 'You better sign soon.'"
The desire for ideal characteristics, such as quality and location in houses and apartments, compels students to sign leases early, Crafaik said.
"There are plenty of places to live, but if you want a big house with lots of bathrooms and plenty of space then you have to get your act together," he said. "If you know what you want then you are going to make every effort to be first."
Competitive lease signing poses inconveniences for both current residents and landlords. As early as one month after residents move in, landlords must send letters to their tenants about resigning their leases for the following year, in order to allow the property sufficient time on the market, Ward said.
"I don't like people moving in and me sending a letter saying you need to decide whether you're coming back next year," Waring said. "It hasn't given us a chance to build a relationship with residents or a chance to show that we want to take care of them."
Pushing back lease-signing dates would provide a break for rental companies and would allow current residents more time to decide whether to re-sign their lease.
"As a benefit to all, we wouldn't object to having [lease-signing] moved to January," Crafaik said. "It would allow existing tenants to get a feel for the place and we would have time to get a break from leasing people."
Perhaps the biggest problem with early lease-signing dates is the level of commitment for students, especially first years, to people they have known for a short amount of time.
"It's hard on first-year people being asked within the first month of moving into dorms and barely having met people in their halls," Crafaik said. "They now have to put a group together and they hardly know each other."
Ward said many students often rescind such arrangements.
"It's already a problem this year with first years who want to break up," he said. "The first people you meet are not necessarily the friends you'll have later."
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