Leaving bottles outside your residence could cause you to face city violations. Credit: Jack Westerheide | Photo Editor
Transitioning to off-campus living can be exciting — until you’re handed a fine after forgetting to clean up from an outdoor party.
As students start signing leases for the next academic year, many are learning that moving off campus comes with new responsibilities, and potential penalties if they’re not careful.
Living off campus gives students more freedom, but also more responsibility. From understanding lease terms, to following city codes, small oversights can quickly turn into costly mistakes.
To stay out of trouble, Frank Kremer, chief counsel for the civil team at Student Legal Services, said students should start by reviewing their lease in full, not just the first page.
“Always check all the fill-in-the-blank spots on leases,” Kremer said. “Dates, dollar amounts, which utilities you’re obligated to pay, parking costs: anything that might vary from lease to lease.”
Beyond understanding the lease itself, students need to know their responsibilities within the household. Kremer advised students to clarify how financial and legal obligations divide among who they live with.
Kremer said that if you have roommates, you need to understand if it’s a joint or individual lease. If it’s a joint lease, you share financial responsibility for rent and utilities, and if it’s an individual lease, obligations are separate.
For some students, those lessons come only after running into a housing issue.
Tiarah Thompson, a third-year in actuarial sciences, said she didn’t expect to face legal trouble, until she received a last-minute opportunity that required her to leave her lease early.
“I had signed a lease for the upcoming school year. So, I needed to break that agreement so I wouldn’t have to be in that contract to continuously pay rent,” Thompson said.
Thompson reached out to the Student Legal Services to have her lease reviewed and get advice for her situation. It recommended a possible buyout or finding a subletter.
Once students arrive at their new place, Kremer said documentation is everything.
“When you’re moving into a property, take photos and videos of everything,” Kremer said. “That can help protect from security deposit disputes down the road.”
Even after move-in, off-campus living can present new challenges that go beyond the lease itself. Kremer said some legal problems students can overlook are city code violations, which tenants are responsible for knowing.
“Code violations can be assessed to the tenant,” Kremer said. “So if there’s trash out front on the front lawn after the weekend, the city could cite the tenant for that.”
Landlords have set obligations when it comes to repairs and treating property damage.
“Landlords have a reasonable time, with a maximum of 30 days, to remedy any conditions at the property that the landlord has a legal obligation to fix,” Kremer said.
Students can be held liable if they’re not timely with reporting issues.
“If you don’t notify the landlord right away and the problem gets worse, you could be held liable for that aggravation of the problem,” Kremer said.
Thompson said that for many students, learning to manage off-campus responsibility is part of adulting.
“We’re still growing adults, and some of these things are the first time we’re experiencing them,” Thompson said. “Even reaching out to resources like SLS can feel intimidating, but just asking ‘what should I know’ is a good first step. The resources are here to help and guide you.”
Student Legal Services offers free lease reviews and legal consultations for Ohio State students. Appointments can be scheduled through the office’s website.
