Advice for the student tenant in SF

By Essie HarrisThe The Guardsman

Finding affordable off-campus housing is one of the trials in a student’s quest to receive an education at City College.

Whether  you are fresh out of high school and just beginning the beautiful  journey of attending City College, or a weathered student beaten down by  the realities of continuing your education, finding a decent apartment  is an obstacle that can make living on the streets and panhandling seem  appealing.

When  I moved here four months ago, I hastily signed a six-month lease for a  claustrophobic in-law unit at $640 per month. The months that followed  this decision were pure hell. From landlord harassment to crack head  neighbors and request for repairs being ignored, my living situation was  unsafe. I was ignorant to the rights I had as a tenant, when in  reality, I owned my landlord.

The issues
Four  times per week, I was awakened at 7 a.m. sharp by my landlord working  in the garage that I paid for and was included in my lease. By law,  landlords are required to give 24 hours notice to enter rented property,  and it must either be agreed upon by the tenant or authorized by court.  Strike one.

Despite  my persistent verbal and written requests for repairs on a somewhat  urgent matter, I was ignored when the lock to the front gate broke. For  two weeks I had to crawl through a tiny window leading to my bedroom as  my only method of entry.

This  was an obvious violation of my Warrant of Habitability. A safe entry  way is on the list of things a landlord must provide which can be found  on the San Francisco Tenants Union website. Strike two.

On  three separate occasions within the three months I occupied the unit,  inadequate draining for the jerry-rigged washer and dryer led to  flooding of the garage and my apartment – also listed as a violation of  my Warrant for Habitability. Strike three.

I attempted to communicate these issues to my landlord without any intention of breaking my lease.

When  that didn’t work, I used the word all landlords fear: “lawyer,” a word  that should be used only with great discretion for its implications have  the potential to start a war. The just tenant would undoubtedly win,  but at both a mental and financial cost.

I was lucky, and the landlord let me out of the lease, and so began the apartment search on Craigslist.

The nightmare begins
In  the Sunset for $650, I could live with a group of four professionals,  all of whom spoke only Chinese. Personally I found the language barrier  too difficult to tackle.

For  $700 in the Haight, I found an amazing room with a great view. However,  the potential roommate was a 28-year-old male that practiced a  “clothing optional” policy. I wasn’t keen on the idea of waking up to  that every morning.

After  several more hopeless room viewings, I found that for a slight increase  in price I could have my own studio. And so the search continued: $800  for a 5x5 closet with an outhouse-style bathroom in Ingleside; $850 for a  dorm-style apartment in Russian Hill, sharing a bathroom with a  90-year-old who hasn’t worn pants since ‘85 and seemed to not care where  and when he discarded his dirty diapers.

For  three weeks I spent endless hours looking for my new home. No one  should have to experience the things I saw iduring that time. A few  apartments seemed great, but I was competing with 40 other renters, all  with better credit scores and more reliable jobs.

I  finally moved onto a boat in the South Bay Marina for $600 a month. The  first night, sea sickness left me praying for death so I abandoned  ship. For those who aren’t bothered by motion, you may look into this as  an option as an alternative living situation. It is an affordable way  to have your own place for the low maintenance type.

I finally convinced a home owner in Bernal Heights to rent a lovely in-law studio to me for $775.

The  struggles and worries are now put to rest but I have left this process a  changed woman,  challenged but not defeated. I have just enough juice  left in me to battle the traffic ticket Nazis and mafioso-style city  regulations raping me out of every last hard-earned penny.

Email:
eharris@theguardsman.com