OPINION & EDITORIAL
‘Homeless night’ can change with tenant action
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Also by Hannah Karns:
- Time to shape up, ASM representatives (April 9, 2008)
- Trading detainment for diplomas (March 26, 2008)
- Deficit sidetracks worthy UW bills (March 5, 2008)
- UW lacks traction on snow transport (February 20, 2008)
- In event of emergency, text 911? (February 3, 2008)
Related Stories:
- Homeless need to find their bootstraps and pull up (September 25, 2007)
- Letter to the Editor: Don't trust Lazybones (September 4, 2001)
- New dorms can benefit everyone (September 21, 2004)
- Students say build away (April 21, 2004)
- Photo evidence right for Madison renters, landlords (November 2, 2007)
by Hannah Karns
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Unless you plan to live in the dorms all the years of your undergraduate career — and I wouldn’t recommend it — you will more than likely get to experience the joy of moving from one abode to the next. As if transporting all your belongings from one apartment to the next wasn’t enough of an ordeal, you probably know that nearly everyone who does not live in university housing moves in on the same date. Talk about mass chaos and congestion.
There is another aspect of the move-in process the city of Madison has yet to really address, and that is “Homeless Night.”
Some time ago, landlords throughout the Madison area banded together to begin leases Aug. 15 and end them the next year on Aug. 14. Sure, you are living in your residence for exactly one year, but you cannot move into your next place until Aug. 15. Where do you go for this night when you are living at neither your new residence nor your old one? Students can opt to rent a hotel room if they have the means to do so, stay with an obscure relative in town, or do what many have done in the past — sleep in their cars.
Not surprisingly, this ridiculous practice is not an issue on most campuses across the United States. Two bitter rivals of the University of Wisconsin — the University of Minnesota and the University of Michigan — both have separate systems for dealing with the issue of off-campus student housing.
According to the University of Minnesota’s Housing and Residential Life Office, “most rentals begin on the first of the month,” though the starting dates of leases can vary. There is also a two-week period in which students are not residing in these off-campus residences. During this interlude, a student can negotiate with his or her landlord to arrange an earlier or later move-in date.
The University of Michigan has a similar two-week period during the summer. Because the gap is much larger than the one day experienced by students here, students often opt to return home or arrange temporary accommodations.
Even UW-Milwaukee is able to provide arrangements that are currently not widely available in Madison. According to the Neighborhood Housing Office, the lease system in Milwaukee is fairly flexible. Landlords often provide students with the option of signing nine-month leases as opposed to the typical 12-month lease in Madison. Along with this flexibility, students are encouraged to negotiate early move-in dates with their landlords.
If these systems are able to function relatively well at other universities in comparable size to us, why on earth does Madison have this “Homeless Night” issue?
Well, one answer could be that no one is really pressing landlords to offer flexible leases. The Tenant Resource Center provides a list of “Landlords and Management Companies That May Be More Flexible.” Included on the list are both Wisconsin Management and Madison Property Management. However, “may be more flexible” is nowhere near a guarantee that these management agencies are going to be willing to compromise.
Madison students need to request a guarantee for a more flexible lease. It is unsafe for students to be sleeping in cars during this awkward, 24-hour transition period. It also reflects poorly on the city of Madison as a whole that there has been very little progress in solving this recurring issue.
Many students across campus have already signed leases for next year, so the opportunity for action for the 2008-09 school year may have already come and gone. I would strongly encourage students to attempt to negotiate leases in the future. If it is working in Minnesota, Michigan and Milwaukee — why not give it a shot here in Madison?
If landlords are unwilling to listen, I suggest an alternative that does not solve the problem, but that will help alleviate the stresses involved. Let us fill the Kohl Center with the displaced students for that night and provide police protection for our U-Haul vans and vehicles filled with our belongings. Come on Madison; it is the least you can do.
Hannah Karns (hkarns@wisc.edu) is a sophomore majoring in political science and international studies.
Anonymous (April 23, 2008 @ 12:42am):
if all landlords offered 9 month leases, they would be much more expensive. if there was a possibility that the other three months of the year would not be leased, most assuredly those renting during the school term will end up paying the same total rent by the end of the term as they do now.
Anonymous (April 23, 2008 @ 7:14am):
Move a little farther away from campus. I'm on the west side of town and the leases start whenever you want here.
Anonymous (April 23, 2008 @ 9:05am):
The landlords would make much more money with 9 month leases. They would charge the current annual rent divided by 9, and then anything they could get for the other 3 months would just be gravy.
Might lead to some cheap rents over the summer - but that would only help if you were only in Madison during the summer.
Anonymous (April 23, 2008 @ 9:33am):
If you feel that strongly about not sleeping outside, just stay in the same apartment for the rest of college. Problem solved.
Anonymous (April 23, 2008 @ 9:56am):
“There is also a two-week period in which students are not residing in these off-campus residences.” HAHA, to say this is better than one “homeless” night is ridiculous. You think it is better to have to find someplace to live for 2 weeks than have to find a place for one night? If you believe so then why don’t you take 2 weeks to move-in in the middle of August? I cannot guarantee, but I am pretty sure that nowhere in your lease does it state that move-in and move-out can only occur on August 14 and August 15. Granted having one night where your stuff is in the safe confines of an U-Haul or your car does indeed suck, but there is not much that can be done about it. Think about the property owners who have to try and get every apartment cleaned and repainted before the next people move in (assuming they actually care to do it, most don’t). Also you can’t be moving in while the previous tenets are moving out, think of the confusion. This system has worked in Madison for a long time and I see no need to change it.
Anonymous (April 23, 2008 @ 10:29am):
H.K. for president!
Anonymous (April 23, 2008 @ 11:49am):
So you're saying that instead of having one homeless night, we should follow Minnesota and Michigan's lead and have a homeless two weeks? That makes no sense! Not everyone has the means to move their stuff home for two weeks and then come back. Wow you're stupid.
Anonymous (April 23, 2008 @ 2:23pm):
I am moving into my new apartment on Aug. 1st and the lease on my current apartment ends on Aug. 14th.
I have no problem with this.
Anonymous (April 23, 2008 @ 3:15pm):
I am confused how moving the start date for leases to the first of the month would solve the problem...
Anonymous (April 24, 2008 @ 11:24am):
poorly thought out article, quite sophomoric.
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