By Grant Abston, Sports Editor
Looking first to the left and then to the right on one of the East North streets near campus reveals two very different scenes.
On the left is a well-maintained house,freshly painted with a clean-cut front yard. The property is spotless, with a long driveway that leads to a back gate and a large backyard.
However, on the right is a different scene. The paint on the next house is visibly chipped, and one of the front windows is cracked. The front door appears to be falling off, while the yard is overgrown with weeds.
The difference in care that has gone into these properties is obvious.
As college students, we spend our time at ACU surrounded by a student community, including where we live off-campus: rental homes, garage apartments, duplexes, triplexes or converted family homes. One of the problems with living in a rental property is that students do not feel a sense of ownership. While many students blame landlords and vice versa, we must remember it is our responsibility, as well as the landlord’s, to maintain the places where we live.
Houses around college campuses are evaluated by the Central Appraisal District of Taylor County based on the economic drive of the neighborhood, whether or not similar houses in the same area are maintained. They are evaluated on their condition, and these conditions affect the rental and resale value of each property. The rental properties around the ACU community reflect many different types of ownership. You can identify which houses are maintained and also possibly evaluate the student and landlord’s relationship based on the houses’ outside appearances. For property owners, it is necessary to maintain their property, so they can sustain any type of revenue stream with future students constantly evaluating each house. If the landlord does a good job of keeping up with his or her property, the house has a greater value and attracts potential renters and buyers more easily. However, one thing is clear: landlords must develop and maintain a codependent relationship with students, so their property can maintain its value, and the student can be provided basic needs.
“Keeping up with maintenance is also my responsibility,” said Stan Smith, a local landlord. “You can get beat up by irresponsible tenants, and it creates an unfortunate situation, so you are better off maintaining a relationship.”
As students, we must do a better job developing relationships with property owners. Many students do not make an effort to develop a relationship because rental contracts usually last one to two years. However, for problems to be addressed, we must alert landlords in addition to making an effort to show a concern for the property. Unless a problem is brought to the attention of the landlord, nothing can be fixed, and the rental value will continue to decrease. As a property owner, the goal is to maintain or improve the property value, so the need for information on the property is vital to its success. While the responsibility of maintenance may fall on the landlord, it is the student’s responsibility to maintain it as well by taking out the trash, replacing things the tenant breaks and cleaning and maintaining an overall good appearance.
If you take the time to drive around ACU’s campus or have looked into renting different properties around ACU, you witness the differing levels of care put into rental properties. It is obvious which renters and landlords make an effort to maintain their property and which do not. While the need for better housing and more quality rental properties exists, we must remember it is just as much our job as the landlords’ to make sure this happens. We must take an active approach, and with this effort, we will see an improvement on both ends.
Whether you are looking to the left or right, make sure the house you see is a house you want to reflect you. It is not just “their” responsibility to fix things; it is ours as well.
