In an attempt to benefit students who are considering living off Grounds, Student Council presented a proposal for an ordinance to Charlottesville City Council last night that would mandate a certain period of time between when a lease begins and when a landlord could begin advertising the same unit for the next cycle of leasing.
Colin Hood, Student Council’s representative to City Council, told City Council that the leasing process begins “closer and closer to the onset of the academic year” each year, causing students a great deal of stress at an inconvenient time.
He noted that while there is plenty of housing available for students — citing a 45-percent increase in off-Grounds housing units during the past several years — many students still feel pressured by their peers or landlords to sign leases in September or October.
He noted that Student Council’s “Don’t Sign It” campaign began this year, which so far consists of educating students about their housing options, both on and off Grounds. He asked City Council to pass legislation that would create a more “permanent solution” to the problem, allowing students more time to evaluate their options.
According to Hood, Student Council was inspired by the students at the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin, who successfully petitioned their local governments to pass similar ordinances. At these schools, students convinced the municipal governments to pass ordinances that prohibited landlords from advertising a property until a specified amount of time, such as the 90-day period in Ann Arbor, had passed from the first day the lease was valid. Hood said Student Council has not drafted an ordinance for Charlottesville because it hopes to work with City Council to write an ordinance that would be mutually beneficial for University students and the city.
Shannon Smith, Student Council’s deputy representative to the City Council, said such an ordinance would “help [Student Council] make the ‘Don’t Sign It’ campaign a success” because it would complement on-going educational efforts.
Rick Jones, vice chairman of Management Services Corporation, however, said while he approved of Student Council’s efforts to ease the stress of signing leases and to benefit University students, he felt that educating students about their options was the best way to handle the situation.
“I applaud their efforts, but I think legislating what people do in free markets is inappropriate,” he said. He used the analogy of credit cards to support his claims, noting that while students can get into serious trouble if they are not careful in how they use credit cards, they have not been outlawed for use by students.
Hood stated, however, that the proposed ordinance had been implemented successfully in other university towns and would not impede the free market in Charlottesville. He also said the credit card analogy was flawed because laws have been passed regarding who can purchase a credit card in response to young adults making poor decisions regarding credit card usage.
“Landlords are not our opponents,” Hood maintained. “We’re not changing the demand for their business. There will be just as much demand [if the ordinance is passed], but at a later time.”
City Council is currently looking into the legality of passing such an ordinance, Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris said. Once City Council determines if such legislation is within its jurisdiction, it will be able to decide whether it will work with Student Council to draft a resolution addressing this issue, Hood said.
If City Council determines it does not have the authority to pass such legislation, Hood said, Student Council will petition the General Assembly in Richmond to address the issue.
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