By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
More than 1,000 apartment and house renters in Bowling Green have filled out a survey ranking their landlords and living units.
The results were compiled into a first-ever BGSU Renter’s Guide, intended to help students make more informed decisions before they sign leases in Bowling Green.
The information is pulled from direct responses from students surveyed on their satisfaction with different rental agencies in the city.
The BGSU Renter’s Guide is a joint project of the Undergraduate Student Government, the Graduate Student Senate and Off Campus Student Services. Such a guide has been offered for Ohio State University students for years.
A total of 25 landlords are listed in the survey along with the ratings by their former renters. The highest number of survey responses came from renters of Greenbriar, Copper Beach, Falcon’s Pointe, Mecca Management and John Newlove.
The rental costs range from the lowest of $100 to $199 a month for 19 respondents, to the highest of more than $1,000 a month for three respondents. The most common rental cost was between $300 and $399 a month.
The renters were asked about how easy it was to contact their landlord with concerns. The responses ranged from 40 percent who strongly agreed it was easy, to 16 percent who strongly disagreed.
Landlords were ranked on whether or not they answered questions prior to the students moving in, whether students were given the same apartment they toured, whether students were satisfied with the apartment when they first moved in, and whether or not landlords maintained the interior and exterior of rentals.
Less than half, 48 percent, strongly agreed that their landlords maintained the exterior of their homes. Even fewer, 39 percent, strongly agreed that the landlords maintained the interior.
Renters were also asked how quickly their landlords responded to emergency maintenance issues. Renters from some landlords said they always responded with 24 hours. But other landlords took more than two weeks to respond, according to the survey.
The renter’s survey can be found on the BGSU off-campus student services website. The guide also advises renters to ask basic questions before signing a lease, such as:
- What are the lease terms?
- What is included in the rent?
- Can I decorate my apartment?
- What is your maintenance and emergency repairs policy? How long does it take to repair a leaky faucet or replace a torn window screen?
- What are safety and security policies?
The guide also give renters tips on rental insurance, how to mediate roommate conflicts, how to get security deposits back, and how landlords must give 24 hours notice prior to entering a rental unit.
The survey comes with a disclaimer from BGSU. “The landlord survey response data collected and presented by the Office of the Dean of Students in conjunction with Bowling Green State University does not reflect the opinions, position or endorsement of said office or university and no responsibility will be assumed for users’ interpretation or reaction to the data,” the disclaimer states.
The renter’s guide survey was administered to the off-campus student population through Off-Campus Student Services. The survey was administered in April 2016 to all BGSU students who did not reside in on-campus housing. The survey yielded 1,051 completed responses which was an 11.4 percent response rate.
