Goreham to make tenant/renter rights center

By BETH BAUMGARDNER
Collegian Staff Writer

To inform students and landlords about their rights as tenants and renters, State College Borough Council member Elizabeth Goreham is independently working to develop a Student/Landlord Resolution Center.

The center would offer free legal services to both students and landlords who feel they are being treated unfairly.

In an effort to find a location for the center and to open it as soon as possible, Goreham has been reviewing local landlord laws.

She said she intends to update those laws so they are in accordance with current ordinances and then evaluate the laws with a lawyer.

From that point on, students need to be the driving force to bring the center to working order, Goreham said.

"Hopefully we'll form a partnership of students who will demand a Student/Landlord Resolution Center," she said.

The center would offer many services which would be beneficial to students who are renting an apartment for the first time.

Having her lease reviewed by a lawyer before signing it is appealing to Liz Disandro (freshman-engineering).

Disandro, who lives on campus now, said she might move into an apartment in the future.

Disandro's parents own a duplex, and she said they have had tenants who caused problems because they did not fully understand their responsibilities.

If a center was available to explain rights and responsibilities to tenants, such problems could be avoided, she said.

"I think it's a good idea," she said. "It's kind of a reassurance as a student that you're not being gypped or conned into anything."

Legal help is already available to students on campus, said Jean Welling, staff assistant for Greek and Community Life. Welling said she receives about 15 to 20 calls per month from students and parents who want to know about their rights vs. landlords' rights.

In some cases, Welling refers students to the attorney for the student body, José Texidor, a lawyer who provides free legal services such as reviewing leases or explaining legal rights to students.

Though he does not go to court, Texidor has provided consultation legal services for students for two years.

The majority of his time with students is spent reviewing leases and security deposit claims, he said.

"(Students) are adults. They need to know they're signing into something that could cost them a lot of money," he added.

Texidor said he is in favor of Goreham's proposed center, as he has been bombarded with appointment requests.

His maximum of 40 appointments per month is almost always filled.