Written by Christian Lewis
Renting apartments is tough, but we’re here to help make it a little bit easier! Below you will find resources to help you 1) find prospective housing locations off campus 2) understand the types of agreements you may enter into 3) what to expect as a renter, and understanding your rights as a tenant and 4) some extra information in the light of our current global pandemic.
How to find housing off campus
Finding housing off campus in Irvine, or the surrounding area, will likely be done online. Multiple UC Irvine Facebook groups are dedicated to finding/advertising rooms for rent (see links below). Craigslist is another site that is commonly used to advertise rooms for rent. Facebook and Craigslist may lead you to more sublease situations, the pros and cons of which are detailed below in Section 3. Zillow is a website that lists spaces for lease, however, it tends to be higher in price and features empty/unfurnished spaces. Also check out Apartments.com, linked below.
Once you have investigated places you are interested in, you will have to reach out to the advertiser, and if they respond, you should go and look at the space to ensure it is what you expected. Please note: Using any of these websites to look for a new place to live, please exercise caution when going off-campus to meet someone you first met online. Whether it be Facebook, Craigslist, Zillow, or others, please bring a friend or go as a group to avoid potentially dangerous situations.
Types of housing off-campus: leases and subleases
A lease is a situation in which the landlord/property owner and you have signed an agreement (either month-to-month or yearly), and you have Tenant’s Rights (see links below for more information). A sublease is a room advertisement through the renter, not the landlord/property owner. Subleasing is often prohibited, and if so, the subleaser may not have the same legal rights as the tenant, and you may be at risk of eviction if the landlord finds out. Make sure you know which type of agreement you are entering.
Utilities
If you are the first person entering into an apartment lease, you most likely have to call the electric, gas, water, and internet distributors to start receiving service. Links to the most common of those are below. If you are not the first renter in an apartment, or you are subletting, you will not have to do this, but you will still have to pay some amount to utilities. Some landlords/property owners fix the utility cost into the monthly rental price. Try to be straightforward and ask where this cost is baked into your rent, if you don’t see it.
Know your rights as a tenant
An overview of the tenant’s right can be found by following the links below, however, I will outline a few here:
- The landlord/property owner must give you notice before coming into the space: “California landlords must provide 24 hours’ notice of entry, or 48 for the initial move-out inspection”
- The landlord will require a “security deposit” but they cannot claim it is non-refundable, meaning if you take care of the space, you will get the security deposit back within 21 days of moving out, minus a small cleaning fee.
- The landlord must, by law, let you know about problems like pests or toxic mold.
Renting during COVID-19
The global pandemic adds a lot of complicating factors into the lives of tenants. What happens if I suddenly cannot pay rent? Can I “break” my lease and move back home at any time without penalty? What happens if my roommate gets COVID? See the link below for more details about the following information:
Fortunately, you cannot be evicted if you cannot pay rent due to a COVID related issue. You may still be evicted if you cannot pay rent, but it has nothing to do with COVID. It is still a challenge to break your lease. You may be responsible for the remaining rent (if you’re on a yearly lease) unless a new tenant is found. If you’re on a month-to-month lease, you must give ~30 days notice to the landlord that you’re leaving. Apartments can be shown to new tenants during COVID. If this is the case, and your landlord is showing prospective tenants around, be sure to sanitize the space carefully after they leave.
Final Notes
Renting off-campus can be challenging. If the above information does not help answer your questions, please reach out to your GIC mentor. They will be able to either, help you, or point you in the right direction to someone with more information.
Links from above:
Website to help you find rooms for rent:
https://www.apartments.com/park-west-apartment-homes-irvine-ca/z627jsy/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/UCIrvineHousing/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/UCI4Room/
https://www.zillow.com/irvine-ca/apartments/
https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/search/roo
More information about your rights as a tenant:
https://www.hcd.ca.gov/manufactured-mobile-home/mobile-home-ombudsman/docs/Tenant-Landlord.pdf
Renting during COVID