Forum helps students learn rights, responsibilities of apartment living
Moving into a first apartment is a rite of passage for many young people.
However, many find themselves confused when trying to figure out the logistics of finding a place and dealing with landlords.
Four MSUM students used a sociology class project to educate students about their rights and responsibilities as tenants.
Amber Lemoine, Jordan Meyer, Crystal Onchuck and Jamie Zimmiond invited three speakers to host an informational forum meeting for students Wednesday night.
One of the requirements for MSUM’s Social Work Communities and Organizations class is a service-learning project in which students work with an assigned social work organization.
Lemoine, Meyer, Onchuck and Zimmiond were assigned the People Escaping Poverty Project (PEPP).
One of PEPP’s projects is educating people about housing rights and helping them when those rights are violated.
“ We wanted to educate students about tenants’ rights so there would be some prevention rather than waiting until something happens,” Zimmiond said.
Heidi Uecker, a staff attorney for Legal Services of Northwest Minnesota, spoke about basic rental procedures such as security deposits and handling maintenance issues.
Uecker said that security deposits are an advance payment to cover damages to the property beyond normal wear and tear.
In North Dakota, the landlord has 30 days after the lease has expired to either return the security deposit or explain why none was returned.
If the landlord does not meet that deadline, the tenant may file in a small claims court and receive up to three times the amount of the deposit.
Amy Schauer Nelson, executive director of Fair Housing of the Dakotas (FHD), also spoke at the presentation. FHD is an organization dedicated to combatting housing discrimination.
Nelson said it is illegal to deny a person housing based on race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability or familial status.
Examples of discrimination include allowing families with children to only live on certain floors and not making reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities.
Service animals must be allowed in all apartments, even those with a no pets policy.
Nelson also said it is illegal to use discriminatory language in housing ads or to tell a tenant an apartment is not available when it really is.
Duke Schempp was the final speaker of the night.
“ Students are the most under-represented group in housing issues,” Schempp said.
Schempp is working to educate students about their housing rights and help them become more active in speaking out about student housing concerns.
“ Students don’t have much voice,” Schempp said.
Schempp wants to see landlords held more accountable for housing conditions because many of the student apartments he sees around campus look dilapidated.
He said some landlords have an image of students being messy and rowdy, which can lead to discrimination against students.
Schempp would like to see students and tenants have more a say in housing issues.
“ There is a landlords association,” Schempp said, “but has anyone heard of a tenant’s association?”