Students in the dorms who can’t pay their rents are closer to getting the boot.
Lawmakers are trying again to pass a bill that would allow U Housing and Residential Education to speed up the eviction process of Residence Hall tenants who are too far behind in their rent. As the law is written now, U Housing has to submit the eviction case to the Attorney General’s office, a process that takes six weeks.
The bill exempting university housing from state eviction laws didn’t come up for vote before the end of the legislative session last year.
“It’s a time-consuming and slow, cumbersome process,” said Barb Remsburg, director of HRE.
Because student housing is at full capacity, and no new dorms will be built for at least another few years, U Housing wanted to find a way to remove students who can’t pay and let in students who can, she said.
About 343 students living in the Residence Halls are behind on their rent. Most of them are waiting for financial aid or their next paycheck, such as Matthew Veeder, a junior in political science. Veeder works part time at the Union Service Desk. He was behind on his rent twice before, and could fall behind again if he ever has to lose hours. It’s stressful for students to have to study, work and worry about rent at the same time, he said.
“I don’t think this bill is conducive for an educational environment,” Veeder said.
However, not every student is only behind by one paycheck. Twenty-one of those 343 students are behind by at least $1,000, and seven of those cases are already on the Utah attorney general’s desk. Given HRE’s track record in completed eviction cases, one of those students will have to pack their bags before the school year ends.
If students have to find a new place to live, at least they won’t have to live up to a higher rent than they were already asked to pay.
There may be more than one student forced to leave if the bill passes. The Utah Legislature almost succeeded last year, but the session ran out of time before the Senate could take a vote. This year, the bill passed unanimously in favor out of committee and the House of Representatives only a week into the process.
Remsburg said that the legislation isn’t about leaving students homeless, but holding them responsible to their contract. If the student agrees to pay a certain amount to live in the dorms or apartments per semester or per month, and doesn’t hold up their end of the bargain, HRE should not have to either, she said.
The legislation would also apply to a student with a serious conduct problem, such as marijuana possession. In the past six years, no student has been evicted based on conduct. Given their warning, they leave on their own, Remsburg said.
If a student is evicted, the bill would not change HRE’s standard procedure. The student would meet with the HRE administration to discuss their situation. Students can appeal their case, call a parent or collaborate to find a place to live off-campus.