Hunting for elusive Westwood gem can be nerve-wracking

This time every year, students armed with Google maps and notepads wander through Westwood in conspicuous groups of four, evaluating each potential new home and secretly wondering how they’ll ever find the dorms again.

Selecting the right apartment can define the college experience as much as choosing the right major, which explains why some students begin the hunt as early as December the year before they hope to move out of the dorms.

For students who have no idea what a lease or an electric bill looks like, the hunt for a first apartment can be a daunting and frustrating experience. But, like a 15-page paper, putting it off will only make it worse.

Prime apartment-hunting season is between February and May, and students who wait until late spring quarter may have trouble finding an apartment to their liking.

“Waiting too long is one of the worst things that students can do. The summer is just too late to find an apartment,” said Emily Austin, property manager of Jefferson Court.

Jefferson Court, an apartment complex on the corner of Midvale and Landfair avenues, began placing students on the waiting list by mid-February, and another large complex on Midvale Avenue opened its waiting list as early as January.

If a building has opened up a waiting list, it does not necessarily mean the building is full. Rather, it means that the landlords cannot guarantee which of their tenants will be moving out and therefore cannot yet rent out specific units.

“As soon as we know for certain who will or won’t be staying here through next year, we can start calling people on the wait list and making them an offer for a particular unit,” said one building manager who declined to be identified, citing corporate policy.

He said that, in order to be placed on the wait list, students need to leave a $300 deposit, which can be returned in the event that they decide not to rent the unit. But, if students decide they do want to begin the renting process, the rest of the security deposit (equivalent to one month’s rent) is generally due within a week.

Austin stressed the importance of carefully considering the decision to sign a lease or leave a deposit before doing it.

“Students will sign a contract and not realize that it’s binding. They need to know that if they put their name on something, they are making an agreement. They are responsible for fulfilling it,” she said.

Other options

When most students decide to leave the dorms, they don’t go too far. Usually a quick hop over Gayley Avenue is enough of a move, but for students hoping to escape the high prices and noisy streets of Westwood, there are other alternatives to this college town.

Santa Monica, Brentwood, Mar Vista, Palms and Venice are common sanctuaries for students who want to remove themselves from the college lifestyle and explore other parts of Los Angeles without moving too far from campus.

Michael Acasio, a third-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student, ended up living much farther from campus than he originally intended because he and his roommates did not did not hunt carefully enough for the right apartment.

After managing to get out of his lease, Acasio and his roommate began looking south of Wilshire Boulevard for a new place to live. “It’s a little bit cheaper, and Brentwood is quieter and not as crazy at night,” he said.

While his share of the rent is only $500, much less than a similar apartment in Westwood might cost per person, Acasio said that living in better surroundings is not necessarily worth the trouble of living so far from campus.

“It’s a bit of a sacrifice not living near campus. I have to take the bus, so if I have a 9 a.m. class I have to be at the bus stop by 8 a.m,” Acasio said.

Because the Wilshire Center Express stops running at 10 p.m., students who rely on public transportation will need to carefully consider their lifestyle and study habits to make sure a move south of Wilshire Boulevard is feasible.

The University Apartments offer a unique alternative for students looking to get out of the dorms but not quite ready to deal with the expense or responsibility of apartment life.

“It’s pretty easy to sign up online, and they come fully furnished, so you don’t have to worry about that part at all,” said Emily Elftman, a third-year physiological science student. Elftman said she paid approximately $550 per month to live in the University Apartments, a number that falls on the lower end of average rent rates in Westwood.

What to note when taking a tour

When touring an apartment building, whether it is with the landlord or individually, be on the lookout for things such as security, maintenance and general cleanliness.

The main doors should be equipped with secure locks and an intercom system that allows the tenant to find out who is at the door before buzzing them into the building.

The condition of the corridors is a good indication of the management’s concern for keeping the building clean. In other words, if there is trash in the hallway and abandoned mail all over the lobby floor, it is likely that common areas will only get a light cleaning once a week.

For a small building with less than 15 units, that may not be a problem, but for complexes with upwards of a hundred units, there should be a full-time maintenance staff on duty and the lobby should appear freshly cleaned at all times.

What to ask the manager

In addition to the obvious questions about rent and bedroom sizes, make sure to inquire as to which utilities tenants are expected to pay for themselves.

Though it varies with each building, most will pay for trash collection and gas, leaving electric, cable and Internet to the tenant. In rare cases, such as with Jefferson Court, Internet access may be provided by the building.

Austin said that, for her tenants, utilities can cost as little as $35 per month if the building is equipped with energy-efficient appliances, while Acasio said students may want to allocate as much as $100 per month for utilities.

Parking is another hot-button issue in Westwood, and not all buildings offer free parking to their tenants. Many of the larger buildings charge anywhere from $100 to $200 per month for parking spaces, so make sure to ask in advance and factor the addition into the cost of rent.

It is also important to know whether or not there is a live-in manager in the building; a lack of building personnel on site can mean that repairs and complaints will be addressed much more slowly.

Because most buildings have policies regarding parties within in the complex, and repeated violations can be grounds for eviction, be sure that the policy is one that everyone can agree to in advance.

If there is a manager living on site, expect the policy to be strictly enforced.

What to ask when the landlord is gone

No matter how complete your guided tour may seem, the manager will not volunteer information about how many times per year the building floods or whether or not there have been car thefts from the garage.

Make sure to speak with residents of the building and ask them the kinds of questions that the landlord probably won’t answer honestly.

The best way to do this is simply to pick out a door and knock. Awkward though it may be, rest assured that most residents probably did it when they were looking for an apartment, and, if the inquiries are kept brief, they are generally well-received.

Ask what kinds of maintenance problems they may have had with the building, such as plumbing and electrical, and find out how quickly management responded to complaints.

You may also want to ask if there has been any crime in the building and if the building is, in fact, secure and safe.