Living in UAH

The majority of student housing is comprised of apartment shares. In order to avoid potential conflicts with roommates, please read the following information carefully.

Communication

Talk to your roommate(s). Discuss personal habits, expectations, schedules, cleaning, purchasing common supplies, bill paying, guest procedures, etc. Example: What time should be considered “quiet hours” in your unit, decide who will use the shower first if you both have morning classes, and work out potential areas of conflict such as visitors, cleaning, and exam schedules in advance.

Undisclosed Expectations

Roommate conflicts may arise because of undisclosed expectations. Students come from a variety of lifestyles, backgrounds and vastly divergent prior living experiences.

Many students find that it is helpful to sit down with their roommates and clearly discuss and come to a mutual understanding on:

1. The impact of guests, friends, and classmates visiting the apartment.
2. Shared cleaning schedules.
3. Shared kitchen space and cooking schedules.
4. Discuss household expenses and methods of payment.
5. Use headphones when listening to music or watching T.V after 11pm.
6. Cleaning the kitchen after each use and storing of dishes afterward.

Note: The UAH Guidelines for Sharing an Apartment state that the kitchen should be cleaned after each use and dishes should not be left in the sink but instead cleaned and put away. 

Have regularly scheduled times to sit down and discuss new situations that may arise. Don’t rely on just leaving notes for each other. Writing notes is not dialogue and does not promote healthy communication.

Sharing Common Areas

The common areas such as the living room, kitchen, bathroom, halls, studies and extra closets, if any, are to be shared equally by all of the unit’s residents. Common areas may not be used for storage or for the exclusive use of one student/tenant. 

Each student should use his/her own telephone; a separate phone line is installed in each bedroom. A personal stereo system/television kept in your bedroom will be less of a source of potential conflict than those kept in the common areas.

All roommates should make an effort to keep the common areas of the apartment clean, neat, and uncluttered. To avoid problems with vermin and insects, dishes should be washed immediately and garbage should be removed daily. Clean up after yourself, and make a schedule of which roommate will do each large cleaning task (i.e., bathroom, kitchen, sweeping) weekly. Each building has specific garbage and recycling procedures. Your superintendent will provide you with the guidelines for these procedures. If you have questions about maintenance in the apartment, please contact your Superintendent.

Personal Property and Space

In an apartment share, each student is assigned to a specific room. That room is the personal space of the student; roommates should not enter each other’s rooms uninvited. Any personal property which roommates agree will be shared (i.e., television, kitchenware, furniture in the common areas) should be treated with care. Do not keep items in the shared common areas unless they are to be shared. Personal property should be respected, and not borrowed or used without permission.

Pets

Pets are strictly prohibited in UAH, except for Service Animals and pets kept in aquaria. Students with Service Animals must register with the Disabilities Office. Violation of these policies will result in termination of the Lease/Contract and the student will no longer be eligible for University Housing. 

Guests

Having guests creates a situation of overcrowding, and causes unnecessary stress to fellow tenants by increasing the noise factor and denying them fair use of common areas. Apartment shares are used to house single students only. Infrequent, occasional overnight guests staying for one or two nights may be permissible if all roommates agree. Roommates should discuss the issue of guests and visitors and come to a common understanding and agreement. Spouses, partners, family members and friends are strictly prohibited from sharing these accommodations with student tenants. Violation of this Lease provision and UAH policy will result in termination of the Lease and the student will no longer be eligible for University housing.

Noise

All tenants have a right to a quiet room in which to study and rest. Discuss your working and sleeping hours with your roommate(s). Do not play loud music or watch television with high volume at night; if you wish to do so, we strongly recommend the use of headphones. If you want to have visitors, host a study group or have a party, make sure that you discuss these plans with your roommate(s) well in advance.

Keys

The Superintendent issues each tenant a complete set of keys to the building/apartment. Copies of keys may not be given to friends or guests without written approval from the UAH office. Your keys are stamped “Do Not Copy,” and you will not be provided with any additional sets of keys for visitors.

Bills

Keep accurate records of all shared bills and payments. Pay bills on time, so that debt does not accumulate. Decide which roommate will be in charge of opening and paying particular bills, and provide your roommate(s) with your share of the payment before he/she writes the check.

Smoking

Smoking is strictly prohibited in designated non-smoking apartment shares, if you wish to smoke tobacco and received a designated smoking accommodation when you applied for housing, you may do so within your own private bedroom with the door closed. You will be responsible for installing and using an air purifier in your room whenever smoke is present, and for making a written request to your building superintendent to install a sweep under your bedroom door.

Renter's Insurance

All student tenants are strongly encouraged to obtain renter's insurance to protect against loss of personal property resulting from theft, water, or fire damage. Renter's insurance is easy to obtain and is available from many insurance companies for reasonable premiums, typically under $200 per year. Most policies, in addition to providing you with coverage for property losses, will also provide you with some personal liability coverage.

Resolving Conflicts

If you have a problem with your roommate(s), consider the following options:

The direct approach
Talk with your roommate, explaining what behavior bothers you. Make constructive suggestions about improving relations. Be open to compromise. Attempt to discuss and resolve the problem a neutral location outside of your living quarters. If you need suggestions for preparing for negotiation, you may speak confidentially with a UAH staff member, the Ombuds Officer, or your School's Dean or Housing Liaison.

• Report the complaint to UAH
  Meet with UAH staff to obtain more information about UAH policies and procedures, for suggestions about resolving conflicts, or for considering the possibility of transferring to another UAH unit.
• Meet with the Ombuds Officer - http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ombuds
  The Ombuds Office provides neutral, confidential, informal information and helps you assess various options, including negotiation in which the Ombuds Officer acts as an intermediary, or cooperative mediation. For further information, contact Marsha Wagner, Ombuds Officer, in 660 Schermerhorn Extension; telephone: (212) 854-1234; fax: (212) 854-6046; e-mail: ombuds@columbia.edu
• Talk with the Deans office of your School
  The dean of students of your school can help you examine your goals and priorities, and can offer options for resolving conflicts.

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