Possibly one of the most important and influential facets of college life is housing. It is an opportunity for students to explore their style, create sustainable habits and recharge for the day. Whether it be in a dorm or an on-campus apartment, students need a place to go at the end of the day to work, sleep, eat and relax.
If rules and regulations are followed, students can rest easy knowing that they will have a place to live. After college, recently graduated students are plunged into the deeply complex world of renting, where tenants can easily get lost in the clauses and find themselves pressed under a landlord’s thumb.
HOME Line, an organization for housing advocacy and education, offers a variety of services to make renting easier. Started in 1992, HOME Line has assisted renters in figuring out the next steps in difficult renting situations through their free and confidential hotline, where tenants can speak to one of HOME Line’s lawyers to discuss their rights and potential legal actions they could pursue.
Going into their 32nd year of service for the community, HOME Line continues to show up time and time again for the residents of Minnesota. Although the organization does not represent clients as lawyers, their hotline has established itself as a concrete pillar of aid for tenants.
“In Minnesota, there are three-quarters of a million, roughly, rental households. And we get 20,000 calls a year,” Mike Vraa, Managing Attorney and Hotline Director, said.
Both Vraa and Eric Hauge, Executive Director of HOME Line, mentioned the systematic roadblocks that accompany housing.
“Immigrant communities are often in vulnerable situations and some landlords take advantage of folks in that situation if they can’t read their lease, or they can’t read notices,” Hauge said. With the effects of redlining and gentrification continuing to affect communities that have no option but to rent, HOME Line is continuing its efforts to support the people of Minnesota. And with many leases that are now 20, 50 or even 100 pages long, it is more important than ever for renters to have access to resources that can guide them through the renting process from start to finish.
“[Landlords] own the property, they often have higher income, they have often more resources to be able to hire attorneys, and most tenants do not,” Hauge said.
HOME Line is especially helpful for students, who may not know how to rent or what to be aware of. Although the process to live on campus is relatively simple, the process to rent off campus is an entirely different beast.
“Something that I wish I had known…is that the process of actually finding a place can take quite a while,” Senior Hannah Schwarze said. Although the process for new renters — student or not — can be quite overwhelming, resources like HOME Line can offer some peace of mind. To learn more about HOME Line, visit homelinemn.org or call their hotline at 612-728-5767.

HOME Line’s Top Tips!
– “Think about going back to the place after you’ve toured it and talk to residents that already live there so that you’re not accompanied by the landlord or the project property manager. Try to get some information from the people who’ve been living there about any problems, if it’s a good place or if there’s any issues with the landlord.” – Eric Hauge

– “You should try to see it in person when you’re going to be there. If you’re going to rent a place, and you care about parking, for instance, and you show up for a meeting with the landlord on Tuesday at 10 in the morning, there’s gonna be a lot of parking. Because nobody’s home. So if you want to see what the parking is like, go there that night at six, and see how hard it is to find a spot…then you realize, okay, this is something I need to factor in.” – Mike Vraa

– “If someone has a unit available and they’re wanting someone to move in, say, March 1st, but you’re not able to move in until May 1st, it never hurts to ask the question: if I put in my down payment, and dedicate time to this space, would you be willing to hold it until May.” – Hannah Schwarze