Before You Sign, a house leasing workshop will begin helping university students begin renting a home off campus.

The workshop will be held from 5 to 6 p.m. on March 7 in the Student Center Delta Room on the fourth floor hosted by the Gamma Phi Omega sorority.

“Students planning to live off-campus should attend this event to learn about the process of leasing rental premises like apartments, duplexes, townhouses or homes,” Director of Students’ Legal Assistance Lori Crenshaw Bryant said. “We want students to be equipped with the knowledge to make informed decisions.”

The staff in the Students’ Legal Assistance office conducts workshops to provide information pertaining to the rental process. This includes when to start looking for a property, what to expect when looking and what it means to sign a lease.

Bryant said the Students’ Legal Assistance staff conducts presentations throughout the academic year like, “Landlord-Tenant 101: Before you sign a lease” and “Land-Tenant 102: Security Deposits”.

“The SLAO workshops are important to students because they inform students of possible legal issues they may encounter. At these workshops, students are made aware of legal issues or collateral consequences,” Bryant said.

After attending workshops, students should be able to make an informed decision before signing a lease, Bryant said. By attending these workshops, students become aware of the role of Students’ Legal Assistance Office and the services and resources the office provides.

“The presentation will assist students in understanding a lease agreement, including the students’ rights and responsibilities as well as the landlord’s rights and obligations,” Bryant said.

Secretary for the Tau Chapter of Gamma Phi Omega International Sorority, Ana Hernandez said it’s important that students are aware of what they need to watch out for and what their options are when signing a lease.

“We are hosting this workshop with Student Legal Assistance to better educate our campus community and students about what precautions they may need to take when signing a lease,” Hernandez said.

When referring to who the workshop will target, Hernandez said particularly young adults and college students, who have not yet moved out of the dorms.

Hernandez said students are probably one of the most misinformed groups when it comes to leasing and renting a home.

Due to the high cost of housing on campus, Hernandez said mores students are choosing to live off campus because it tends to be more affordable.

As of Fall 2017 West Campus residence halls have the capacity to house over a thousand students, yet is only occupied by 954 students, according to the University Housing Occupancy Report.

East Campus residence halls have the capacity to house 1,624 students and only 1,041 students are living in them.

Staff writer Clair Cowley can be reached at [email protected].

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