Senior Tommy Raymond and his roommates wanted more privacy and the freedom that comes with living off campus.
In May they moved into an apartment in the Malibu Canyon Village commonly known among students as the “Stinkies” because of the area’s underground septic tanks. Like the many students who rent at the complex Raymond said he enjoyed the convenience of living close to campus without the supervision of a resident adviser down the hall.
Then the fines started rolling in.
Fall semester brought more students to the complex and more students meant more noise. According to accounts from several students the Homeowners Association (HOA) responded by stepping up security measures and strictly enforcing 24-hour quiet hours charging $250 fines for noise violations.
“During the summer it was alright but once more Pepperdine students came in they wanted to try to I guess control us a little more so they started excessively handing out all these fines Raymond said.
However, a Malibu Canyon Village security guard (who wished to remain anonymous) said the complex has lately distributed fewer noise violations than in past years.
During senior Jay Herrington’s first year living in the Malibu Canyon Village, his apartment received no noise violations. Last year, he said they received one. But since this school year began, they have already been issued three $250 fines – two of them in one night while barbequing, and one while playing music in the afternoon.
Raymond tells a similar story.
One day I was playing my guitar [in the apartment] and a noise violation just appeared on my door he said. One of the security guards just posted it on my door without even knocking. Nobody had even really complained about me playing; it’s just she heard me so she decided to give me a noise violation.”
The complex’s two security guards issue noise violations if they determine an apartment is too loud during the day or night according to a representative of the HOA who asked to remain anonymous. A guard said sometimes they warn residents before issuing fines depending on factors like whether they have received complaints about the unit before and the severity of the violation. The guard said other times they post a violation on the door without a warning.
The bottom line is that the Malibu Canyon Village “is a residential property; not a dormitory the HOA representative said. Homeowners expect students who rent units there to abide by the same rules and regulations as other residents, he added.
It’s not that we’re against students at all here [but] we’ve had a lot of issues with damaged property the representative said. I can tell you of many instances where students have not done things that were very appropriate such as throwing bottles down from balconies urinating off balconies yelling at homeowners telling them to go screw themselves. That’s not acceptable.”
He said student renters are also notorious for leaving a mess when they move out and for ignoring the complex’s strict parking regulations.
Unlike other apartment buildings each unit in the Malibu Canyon Village is individually owned and some owners choose to rent to students. This puts other homeowners in the position of trying to protect against drops in their property values due to the actions of student renters according to the HOA representative.
“If you owned a place would you want your place to be a zoo?” the representative asked. “Say for example a unit is on the market and [a potential buyer] came to view it and they see students littering everywhere and defacing the property. That’s going to take away from the value.”
Junior Katie Stjernholm who moved to the Malibu Canyon Village this year said she understands that the complex must take into consideration homeowners’ and families’ complaints against students causing disturbances.
“I know there have been instances in the Stinkies where people are totally out of line where people have been drinking on the balconies and playing loud music and those things need to be addressed Stjernholm said.
However, she said she has had a few problems with what she called unfair distribution of noise violations.
For example, one night Stjernholm and five friends were sitting down to dinner just getting ready to eat making minimal noise [when] we got a knock and they issued us a $250 violation she said. We literally only had one person praying at the dinner table. We hadn’t had a warning it was non-negotiable and we tried to ask them what noise they heard and they couldn’t answer that.”
If students disagree with a noise violation they have the right to appear with the owner before the board and dispute it the HOA representative said.
Students are not allowed to come to a hearing or an HOA meeting without the owner present and that is part of the problem Herrington said. That lack of communication between student tenants and the HOA prompted him to ask to attend the meetings but he was turned down.
“It is non-student residents who cause the communication problem?Herrington explained. We as students try to communicate with residents and more often than not we receive a smug glance in response to a greeting or conversation attempt.”
The HOA representative said tenants are not allowed at the meetings because it is against HOA policy.
“This is a homeowners’ association not a tenants’ association he said.
Conflicts between student renters and HOAs sometimes draw in a third party:?the university itself. The Student Affairs office fields calls from angry Malibu residents and HOAs when students cause disturbances in their neighborhoods. Over the years, their office has developed a relationship with the Malibu Canyon Village HOA to encourage communication and respect between students and the complex, according to Sharon Beard, assistant dean of students for judicial affairs.
First we make it clear [when we are contacted by] any off-campus HOA that we want them to treat our students the way they would treat any non-pepperdine resident?Beard said. I?think their natural inclination is just to call Pepperdine instead of calling the Sheriff’s Department or contacting the landlord or contacting the students who live there.”
When the university receives a complaint from an HOA accusing students of violating Pepperdine’s Code of Conduct the students can be called in for a disciplinary hearing where they may face sanctions ranging from a warning to suspension.
“If students are having off-campus parties where underage and binge drinking occur they can expect suspension for that?Beard explained.
Many student tenants recognize that their Malibu Canyon Village neighbors want to keep the complex from turning into Pepperdine’s off-campus dorms. But at the same time, Herrington said if the fines and parking tickets are part of an attempt to keep students from renting there, it will not work. ?I think their endgame is impossible because I feel like they want to get students out Herrington said. That’s unrealistic because students are always going to be there.”
These days Raymond tries to keep the noise down by practicing his electric guitar wearing headphones. The irony of moving to the Malibu Canyon Village to be free of Pepperdine’s strict housing rules is not lost on him.
“We moved off campus because we didn’t want administration or Public Safety watching over us like little kids he said. But now it seems that we have a couple of security guards and a Homeowners Association watching over us like we’re little kids.”