UA releases off-campus living guide

The 102-page volume gives landlord survey results and off-campus living advice. Touted by its creator as "the most tangible thing" the Undergraduate Assembly has done all year, the Comprehensive Guide to Living Off-Campus -- compiled by the UA's West Philadelphia Committee -- will be released Monday. The guide -- formerly published by the Penn Consumer Board, which reunited last spring after a three-year hiatus -- is divided into eight sections, according to Committee Co-Chairperson Michael Silver, a College junior. The topics covered in the booklet range from official real estate terms and tenant responsibilities to a resource guide listing local moving companies and city services. It also contains the results of the UA's November landlord survey -- which ranks only four local landlords due to a lack of student response -- and operates as a how-to manual for students looking to move off campus. The entire project -- including the landlord survey and publishing expenses -- cost over $3,000 of the UA's budget. The last area landlord rating, released by the PCB in 1995, has since become "outdated," Silver said, citing the reason for the Guide. He added that the Guide would help students who might not understand the nuances of negotiating leases and subletting. "We thought this was something the student body needed, and we were the only ones who could provide it," explained UA Chairperson Bill Conway, a Wharton junior. "Low-quality housing will now be exposed for what it is." The how-to aspect of the guide examines the pros and cons of living off campus, gives apartment-hunting tips and explains common legal terms found in leases, as well as the responsibilities of both the tenant and the landlord. And the Penn Environmental Group collaborated with the UA's West Philadelphia Committee by contributing information on recycling to this section of the guide. "This is good for people who live off campus now and people who are planning to [move off campus]," said West Philadelphia Committee member Hillary Aisenstein, a College senior. "The phone numbers and move-out suggestions should appeal to a lot of people." The landlord housing survey -- conducted last semester -- asked 200 students who live off campus to rate their landlords on a variety of issues, including honesty, lease flexibility and the quality of repair work. Only four landlords -- Campus Apartments, UCA Realty, University Enterprises and University City Housing -- received ratings due to the low level of student response, Aisenstein said. "I'm a little disappointed with the number of results," she added. "Everyone asks for results, but no one's filling out the survey." Area landlords also had the opportunity to fill out a survey listing the addresses of their properties as well as the services they provide to tenants. Over 30 landlords in University City, Center City and two from the suburbs responded to the survey and are printed in the Guide. Aisenstein said she expects the survey to be conducted on an annual basis. She added that she would like to see the formation of a group which would handle "tenant advocacy and outreach -- like an off-campus students' association." "I would really like to start collaborating with Drexel [University]," Aisenstein said. "It would be great if we could expand the survey to include the entire area." The guides will be available for sale Monday at the UA Outreach Table on Locust Walk for $5 each. Students can also obtain copies from the Office of Off-Campus Living, located at 4046 Walnut Street.