NORMAN — In the not-so-distant future, renting a home in Norman may get harder for adults who want to room together in groups of four or more.
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Like many college towns across the country, Norman is considering an ordinance that would limit the number of unrelated adults living in a single-family house to just three. It doesn't matter if the house has three bedrooms or 20. If the house is zoned single-family, only three unrelated adults will be allowed to room together.
The proposed ordinance is based on a similar ordinance passed in Fort Collins, Colo. Fort Collins' "3-unrelated” rule limits the number of unrelated adults living in a single-family home to three.
The ordinance issue was brought up after several Norman residents began complaining that parking and noise issues are increasing in their neighborhoods because too many adults are living together in one house. Most of the time, the complaints involve OU students, whether they are renting a house or sharing a house owned by one student's parents.
The increase in complaints may be because more students are living off campus these days. When the university banned alcohol on campus, many students began taking advantage of rental properties in Norman's neighborhoods. The more roommates you have, the more money you save.
While many students live quietly together and make great neighbors, some end up living similar to the characters in the movie "Animal House.” Believe me. I've seen it myself. Unfortunately, these are the people who will make an ordinance hard to enforce since most of the people living in such houses aren't even on the lease.
That brings up a lot of other questions.
•How will such an ordinance be enforced?
•Will landlords or tenants be held responsible for violations?
•How much time will people have to find a new place to live if they violate the ordinance?
•Will there be a grace period for people who signed a lease before the ordinance was passed?
City officials haven't ironed out the details yet, but they want students, landlords and residents to know the idea is being discussed. Letters are being sent to real estate agents and university officials to let them know the ordinance is being considered.
The city also is working on drafting disclosure forms landlords could give to renters making them aware of the ordinance.
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This was passed in Stillwater about ten years ago, and I can't think of any improvement or even a city citation issued since. Same arguments were made then. Lots of confusion on how to apply it (houses divided into apartments, homes with 4+ BR's, Fraternities, application process for variances, ect..) It was a mess. Now, ten years later, nobody enforces it. It might give an officer another legal excuse to come raid a party now and then, but in practice it is a waste of time. Officers are fighting a gang war right now to keep everyone safe from street blood. They aren't quality of life enforcers.
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Will it work?
What do you think about the proposed ordinance? Has your neighborhood experienced problems because too many adults live in one house? If you are a landlord or student, how will such an ordinance affect you? Send comments to talthoff@oklahoman.com. Some of your responses may be in a future column.
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