[Housing Hell] The search for housing in Provo is an extreme bitch.I have been house and/or apartment hunting for over a month now in the Utah County bubble and have been disappointed by the lack of housing that is up to standard, not for married couples, and isn’t significantly overpriced.
Now the possibility of a whole new restriction on renters in Happy Valley should just about seal Utah County’s reputation as a conservative bubble of religious bias against non-members of the LDS Church.
The Provo City Council has stepped in with its own solution to opening up Provo/Orem area housing to the "right" kinds of tenants. The prescription? According to the Associated Press in The Daily Herald, criminal background checks could be mandated for all students and anyone else who rents a place in Provo…unless the perspective tenant is a registered student at BYU.
Some landlords do practice this activity by screening possible candidates with background checks before living in their properties. The Provo City Council is making an exception based on the fact that BYU has an honor code which students are “required” to follow on and off campus (and all BYU students do follow the honor code, 100 percent of the time, right?).
City Council attorney Neil Lindberg says the ordinance doesn't favor BYU because students at other schools could avoid the background check if their schools implemented a code of conduct.
I guess Mr. Lindberg forgot that not everyone wants to go to a school that keeps you thinking inside of the box. (Jennie Nicholls)
I know I've faced problems finding a place once people realize it's for me and my boyfriend, not my husband. Suddenly, the apartment doesn't work out. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteMy gay boyfriend lost his man on man virginity at BYU, so I'm not sure this 'Honor Code' does what they intend. And isn't showing preference for religious reasons illegal under the fair housing act?
ReplyDeleteThis is how Mormons do things. If you don't like it, avoid Utah's holier-than-thou epicenter.
ReplyDeleteYou couldn't pay me enough to live anywhere near Provo.
@Anonymous 9:32 -
ReplyDeleteCorrection, it's not how Mormons do things, it's close-minded dweebs do things, some Mormons included. Most Mormons are not this way.
Perhaps you're the one who needs to get out of the bubble (great advice for anyone, I might add).
Utah County is a cultural island, and sometimes the natives get restless about outsiders. I've lived here 3 years (Utah 10 years), and I still suffer from cultural jet-lag.
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