OU Spring 2019 Living Guide

SOONER yearbook

LIVING GUIDE

PARK LIKE A PRO pg 8 BUILD-ABUDGET pg 13 ROOMMATE TALKS pg 14

2019

presents

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OU Daily Housing Guide

Find it online at www.housing.oudaily.com

FOR RENT

Space Available: Loft, Efficiency, & two 3 bed, 2 bath apartments Contact KJ Properties for more information at 405-321-1421 or 405-329-4910

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Exceptional amenities and spacious bedrooms and floor plans with plenty of additional storage.

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THE

LINGO LEASING OF

by TIM HATTON

Don’t let tricky terminology add frustration to the rental process. We put together a glossary of helpful definitions to keep on hand while you tackle apartment showings, applications and lease agreements.

APPLICATION

EVICTION

The first step in renting a space is applying for it. Most applications require basic contact information and evidence you can afford to live in the space, as well as proof of ID (like a driver’s license), your Social Security number to check your credit, and references of previous places you’ve rented, if applicable.

Most applications require a nonrefundable fee as well—expect to pay $20-$100 for this in Norman.

If a renter fails to meet requirements laid out in the lease—usually failing to pay rent—the owner of the property can legally evict that person, removing them and their belongings from the space.

PARKING PERMIT

PET POLICY

Most apartment complexes require tenants to register their vehicles in order to park at the complex itself.

Sometimes, though rarely, these parking permits are an additional cost. Policies regarding guest vehicles vary from complex to complex.

Different rental spaces have different requirements for pets permitted on the property. Some ban all pets, while others allow only certain breeds or sizes. A private house is likely to have a more lenient pet policy than an apartment complex.

Often, a landlord will charge an additional fee for allowing a pet in a rental space. These requirements will be outlined in the lease.

SECURITY DEPOSIT

SHUTTLE

Before allowing a tenant moving into a rental space, landlords will require a security deposit to cover the cost of any damage the tenant causes to the property. The amount varies, but is often similar to one month’s rent. At the end of the tenant’s time in the space, the security deposit is refunded after the landlord subtracts the cost of any repairs. If the tenant vacates the property before their lease is up (“breaking” the lease), the security deposit is not refunded.

Most off-campus housing complexes provide a free shuttle service bussing students to campus if the distance is too far to walk, freeing those students from the need to drive to school.

LEASE

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FURNISHED

GUARANTOR

LANDLORD/LANDLADY

If an apartment or house comes furnished, it includes the basic furniture one needs to live in the space. For example, the freshman dorms at OU come furnished with beds, desks, and dressers. Renting an unfurnished unit means the tenant has to provide all of his or her own furniture. Because the cost of furniture is factored in to the price, a furnished unit is often more expensive.

A guarantor (pronounced garen-TOR, related to the word “guarantee”) is a person who signs a lease agreement along with the tenant, ensuring that the rent and other financial obligations will be paid. A landlord often requires a guarantor if a tenant doesn’t independently make enough money to afford the space. For college students, this is usually a parent.

This is the person who owns the space being leased. For large apartment complexes, the landlord is usually a corporation, while an individual person might be the landlord or landlady for a private rental house.

The lease is the contract one signs in order to rent a space. It lays out how long the space will be rented, the cost of the rent, as well as other guidelines like noise restrictions or eviction procedures. Because a lease is a legally binding document, a renter should read it carefully—or consult an attorney—before signing and keep a copy for themselves. An individual lease applies only to one tenant. In this arrangement, each resident in a shared space signs a separate lease which applies only to themselves. A group lease, on the other hand, applies to and is signed by all roommates living in the space, making each legally responsible for the others.

PRORATE

RENT

RENTERS INSURANCE

ROOMMATE MATCHING

To prorate a cost means to adjust it proportionally to reflect actual amount of services rendered. For instance, if you typically pay for internet on the first of each month, and upon moving out, you cancel service in the middle of the month, you will be refunded what you paid for the remainder of that month.

Gas, rent, homeowners association fees, and property taxes are all commonly prorated.

Rent is the cost to live in a space, usually paid once per month. The dollar amount of rent is laid out in the lease, along with any late fees associated with rent paid after its due date.

Renters insurance policies charge a monthly fee, or premium, in exchange for financial protection for the policyholder in the event that their belongings at the rental property are stolen or damaged. Policies are relatively inexpensive; most cost around $12 to $15 per month and are available from the same companies that offer car or homeowner’s insurance. Some landlords require renters insurance, but most only recommend it.

Many off-campus housing complexes offer to pair roommates up with one another, using information from questionnaires in an effort to find a good fit. Most often, these will match roommates of the same gender together. Some complexes will also charge an additional amount for this service.

SUBLEASE/SUBLET

TENANT

UTILITIES

UTILITY CAP

A tenant can sublet their space by having someone else rent it for part of the length of their lease (if the lease is a year long and a tenant graduates or studies abroad during that year, for example). This is also known as subleasing. Some landlords, especially large complexes, will handle subletting on a tenant’s behalf by finding a new renter using a process similar to roommate matching. Some leases make clear that subletting is not allowed.

A tenant is a person living in and renting the space, used interchangeably with “renter” or “resident.”

Utilities are services associated with living in a home or rental space, like electricity, trash, water, heat, WiFi, and (sometimes) cable. Some landlords pay those costs themselves and include them in the cost of rent, while others will only charge rent and make the tenant responsible for other utility bills. The lease will make clear how responsibility for utilities is divided between landlord and renter. When calculating the total cost of living in a space, it’s important to include utilities as well as rent—an apartment with $500 rent and utilities included is probably a better deal than an apartment with $400 rent without utilities included.

Some leases build the cost of utilities into the price of rent. Occasionally, these agreements specify a maximum amount of utility costs that will covered by the property each month. If exceeded, the tenant must cover the difference.

For instance, if the water utility cap is $40 in a given unit and the tenant uses $54 of water in one month, the tenant will be responsible for paying the $14 above the cap.

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PARK LIKE A PRO

by KEENAN BETZ

For students who commute to class each day, driving to campus is only half the battle. Parking space is scarce and permits can be pricey.

Scoring a spot requires a little strategy. Here are the options: The university offers parking passes through Parking and Transportation Services. Parking passes are valid for both the fall and spring semesters of the academic year and allow permit holders to park in any spaces on campus associated with the type of pass attached to their vehicle.

In a pinch, students can purchase up to ten single-day scratch-off parking permits for $5 each.

To help commuters find parking, OU Parking Services (@ouparking) tweets the number of available parking spaces in each lot from 8-10 a.m., in addition to posting updates on lot closings. They encourage students to download the OU Innovate app to find accurate, real-time information about available spots.

The Jenkins Avenue Parking Facility, just south of the Residential Colleges, has 1,221 parking spaces.

The Elm Avenue Parking Facility, next to the Catlett Music Center has 576 spots, and the Asp Avenue Parking Facility attached to the football stadium has 724 spaces.

The latter two garages offer twohour parking on lower levels, which must be paid for at the pay stations.

Pay stations charge $1.50 per hour of parking. Patrons can pay using change, credit cards or the mobile app, Whoosh!.

Permits are required to park in any Parking and Transportation Services lot between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.,

Monday through Friday. Parking in these lots is free and open to the public on the weekends, excluding days of home football games.

The Union Parking Center is operated by the Oklahoma Memorial Union rather than Parking and Transportation Services, so university parking permits are not valid. Instead, paid parking is available to the public on a first-come, first served basis.The Union Parking Center accepts cash, credit, debit and Sooner Card.

Rather than park near the main campus, students can park for free at the Lloyd Noble Center and ride the CART shuttle to their classes. The shuttle runs from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Monday through Friday, every 5 to ten minutes until 6 p.m. After 6 p.m., the CART shuttle runs at 20-minute intervals until 9 p.m.

There are a handful of other non-university parking options near campus for those who choose not to purchase a pass through Parking and Transportation Services.

Campus Corner offers metered street parking. The hours of meter enforcement are from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Students can pay for two hours maximum until 6 p.m. or three hours maximum after 6 p.m. The machines accept coins, VISA or MasterCard.

The Sooners for Christ Outreach Center at Elm and Lindsey St. sell a limited number of daytime parking permits. They can be reached at 405321-4474 for more information.

The First Presbyterian Church on Campus Corner also offers parking.

Daily parking is $4, and 10-day passes are $35. Students can pay with cash, coins or a credit card.

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OU 2019 PARKING PASSES COMMUTER PERMIT $274 EVENING PERMIT $97 HOUSING PERMIT $274 LAW SCHOOL COMMUTER PERMIT $274 MOTORCYCLE PERMIT $30 SUMMER PERMIT $40 ONE-DAY PERMIT – STUDENT $5

Prices via ou.edu/parking

UNION PARKING CENTER 15 MIN TO 1 HR 1 HR & 1 MIN TO 2 HR 2 HR & 1 MIN TO 3 HR 3 HR & 1 MIN TO 4 HR 4 HR & 1 MIN TO 5 HR 5 HR & 1 MIN TO 6 HR 6 HR & 1 MIN TO 7 HR 7 HR & OVER

$2 $4 $6 $8 $10 $12 $14 $14

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Just I5 steps to campus.

BOYD ST

⋅ Private bedrooms and bathrooms

S JENKINS AVE

THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA ELM AVE

Bizzell Memorial Library

⋅ Fully furnished with leather-style sectional sofa ⋅ Hardwood-style flooring

E BROOKS ST

15 Steps to campus CLA

⋅ Multimedia sky lounge

SS EN BLV D

Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium E LINDSEY ST

⋅ Swimming pool with hot tub and sun deck

⋅ Internet and cable TV included

Apply online at CALLAWAYHOUSENORMAN.COM Amenities and utilities included are subject to change. See office for details.

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405.638.3283

AspenHeightsNorman

AspenNorman

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WHAT TO DISCUSS IN A

ROOMMATE

AGREEMENT

by KEENAN BETZ

Whether you’ll be rooming with old friends or new faces, writing a roommate agreement before movein day will make it much easier to share a living space. It could be a formal document, a casual conversation over text or a handwritten note pinned to the fridge. However you and your roommates decide to approach the discussion, encourage everyone to be honest about preferred boundaries. Here are a few questions to guide your discussion:

ETIQUETTE

801 NW 10TH STREET, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK

WE’RE A PET FRIENDLY COMMUNITY TOO!

- Are we allowed to wear shoes inside?

- What are appropriate noise levels? Should there be quiet hours?

- At what temperatures should we keep the space?

- If bills are shared, who will be responsible for submitting rent and utility payments?

- How will we handle it if someone is behind on payments?

CLEANLINESS/HYGIENE - How often should we clean the common spaces?

- Who is responsible for chores like dusting, vacuuming and taking out the trash?

- Will we divide dish duties evenly, or will each of us be responsibly only for our own dir ty dishes?

- Will we share groceries? If so, who is responsible for shopping and putting groceries away?

- How will we coordinate laundry schedules?

PERSONAL PROPERTY - What items are appropriate to borrow from each other?

- Which items, if any, are considered common proper ty? (cleaning supplies, small appliances, etc.)

GUEST VISITATION - How many guests is each of us allowed to have at once?

- How will we handle par ties? How far in advance should we notify each other if we plan to host a par ty?

- Can a guest sleep on the couch? If so, for how many days?

PETS - Will any of us have pets living in the space?

- If someone decides to get a new pet, will we need to ask for each other’s permission before bringing it into the space?

- Will our pets behave together?

- In which rooms will the pets be allowed?

- Who will be responsible for taking care of your pets if someone is out of town?

Located in Midtown OKC near OU Health Science Center, now leasing for immediate Move-in’s!

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BUILDA-

BUDGET

by MEGAN ROSS Whether you’re signing your first lease or accepting a post-graduate job, budgeting is a great way to stay on top of your finances. This simple practice will guide you in determining how much you can afford to pay in everything from rent and utilities to new clothes or fun nights out with friends.

If you’re not the pencil-and-paper type, try building a digital spreadsheet. Or download a free budgeting app—like Mint, Budget Planner, Personal Capital and Buddy—to help you track spending and build a financial plan.

For more budgeting tools and money management resources, check the OU Libraries Financial Literacy Guide at guides.ou.edu/financial_literacy/9things There are lots of ways to build a successful budget. Choose a plan that works for you and reflects your personal habits and values. We put together one example below; you can fill it out as is, or simply use it as a starting point in creating your own unique model.

STAFF

Variable: necessary monthly expenses that vary in amount from month to month UTILITIES ( WATER, ELECTRICITY, ETC. ) GAS/TRANSPORTATION FOOD/GROCERIES PHONE BILL OTHER TOTAL

INCOME + RESOURCES

All the money you have coming in JOB 1 JOB 2 ALLOWANCE/PARENTAL ASSISTANCE SAVINGS SCHOLARSHIPS/FINANCIAL AID GIFTS OTHER TOTAL

EXPENSES

Fixed: necessary monthly expenses that do not vary in amount RENT CAR PAYMENT TUITION LOAN PAYMENTS INSURANCE INTERNET & CABLE OTHER TOTAL Discretionary: non-necessary, just-for-fun spending SOCIAL ACTIVITIES, ENTERTAINMENT SHOPPING TRAVEL CHARITY/DONATIONS GIFTS OTHER TOTAL

MEGAN ROSS EDITOR

Periodic: necessary expenses that are not incurred regularly and change in amount MEDICAL CARE VEHICLE REPAIR TEXTBOOKS PERSONAL CARE ( HAIR CUTS, GYM, ETC. ) MOVING EXPENSES OTHER TOTAL

TIM HATTON WRITER

KEENAN BETZ WRITER

GABRIELLE VELASCO DESIGNER

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live on campus

ƪ Ǥ ou.edu/liveou The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution, www.ou.edu/eoo.

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