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Show 8 BEYOND CAMPUS f MCCALL MASH health promotion and education major at the University of Utah, sleeps on an old Joscelynne Mendoza, d third-yea- r army cot underneath the basement stairs to save extra rent. Not of on that walls and a door is hard sometimes because all you want to do is shut yourself out when you're having a bad having money type privacy day," Mendoza said. However, its a place for me to keep my stuff I m never home and usually no one is home either College students live under the radar AND AGAINST THE LAW TO SAVE MONEY KENNEDY MASON & MCCALL MASH STAFF REPORTERS Every night after a long day at work and school University of Utah health promotion and education major Joscelynne Mendoza climbs into the old, rickety army cot she calls her bed, located underneath the basement her roommates sublet their rooms while traveling for the summer. It felt a little claustrophobic trying to get into the bathroom or just getting out of peoples way, Mendoza said. I felt like everyones stairs. space was invaded. Mendoza said despite the tight quarters, her current living situation is going well because she and her roommates were close friends and The army cot offers Mendoza only a little privacy. With no walls surrounding her bed, shes hung two tapestries to shield herself from not just acquaintances before living together. Utah doesnt have a limit on how many people can live in one housing unit, according the eyes of her roommates as they walk up and down the stairs and through the hallway where the cot is located. Not having that type of privacy walls and a door is hard sometimes because all you want to do is shut yourself out when youre having a bad day, Mendoza said. However, its a place for me to keep my stuff Im never home and usually no one is home either. Like many of her college-age- d peers, Mendoza said she and her five roommates are looking for any way possible to save extra money. The six roommates live in a four bedroom duplex next to Westminster College. Their landlord only knows about the four roommates who signed the lease the other two live under the radar and against the law. At one point, Mendoza said there were eight people living in the house when some of to the Utah Labor Commission government website. However, the state leaves it up to individual cities to determine housing laws, and the law in Salt Lake City states that no more than three unrelated adults can live together in a single housing unit within the citys property, according to the Salt Lake City Good Neighbor Guide. Mendoza said she and her roommates are aware of the citys occupancy laws and consciously break them. Im not really that scared about the landlord finding out because they never come by or anything, Mendoza said. It would suck if I did get kicked out, but I feel like I would be able to go somewhere else. Mendoza and her roommates arent the only students trying to live around these occupancy laws. Annie Duong, a math major at the University of Utah, had four roommates and said they knew they were not in compliance with the citys laws. I actually knew that we werent supposed to have all of us in the house, Duong said. I feel like most people dont know. And even if they do, they choose to ignore it anyways. Some students are able to get around the occupancy laws legally. Michael Porter, a senior marketing major at Westminster College, said his sister was looking for another roommate to alleviate the cost of rent. During the process, her landlord said they couldnt have any more people in the house who were unrelated. Luckily, Porter was looking for a place near Westminsters campus and his sister offered him the open room in the basement. My landlord told us that you couldnt have four unrelated people living in a house, Porter said. Shes gotten in trouble with it before, but I didnt think people actually cared about that. It was either they rented it out to me and I made rent a little cheaper, or they couldnt rent it out at all. Although some students knowingly break Salt Lake Citys occupancy laws, not all students are fully aware they oust. Julia Nuessle, a senior business finance major at Westminster, said she has four unrelated roommates for convenience. Nuessle said shes vaguely heard about the occupancy laws but doesnt fully understand them. Ive never heard of anyone getting in trouble for having more than four unrelated people in a house, Nuessle said. I know that there are a lot of old homes in Salt Lake Valley that have five bedrooms, though. Nuessle said she doesnt understand why there cant be as many occupants in a home as there are bedrooms. I dont see it being a problem because I live in a five bedroom home, Nuessle said. I could see it being a problem if there are more tenants than rooms in a house. In Nuessles situation, the house may not be large enough to accommodate as many occupants as there are bedrooms. The Salt Lake Valley Health Department Housing Regulation states there must be an additional 150 square feet of habitable space for every additional occupant one who lives, sleeps, cooks and eats within a dwelling. For college students like Mendoza, the cost of tuition and rent are enough to make saving money worth some sacrifice to their quality of living. Though Mendoza is currently living under the stairs, she said she will take a room from another roommate who is moving out in a few weeks. Her roommates said they arent looking for another person to live on the cot under the stairs six roommates is one too many. t |