Berkeley City Council is looking to crack down on the development of “mini-dorms” — privately owned houses that are converted into dorm-style housing for students — by enacting a new ordinance that would limit their development.
At its meeting on July 16, the City Council voted in favor of a zoning amendment that limits bedroom additions in Berkeley homes, limiting conversions to mini-dorms.
Mini-dorms often aim to maximize bedroom space in private homes by converting shared living areas like living rooms, attics, basements and backyards into bedrooms. These bedrooms are rented out to individuals, reducing the cost of what would otherwise be a group lease.
But often, these additions don’t include new bathrooms, kitchens and plumbing — amenities needed to provide adequate living standards for an increase in residents. Nearby residents allege that neighborhoods also have difficulties, as mini-dorm residents produce excessive waste and noise and take up limited street parking.
“(They’re) a major problem for people who want to see the quality of life improve not only for themselves but for students,” said Jean Mudge, a Berkeley resident who spoke during the public comment period of the council meeting. “(My neighborhood) has become a small slum.”
If the amendment is adopted in September, Berkeley homes with four bedrooms will need an administrative use permit before building a fifth bedroom, and homes with five bedrooms will require a use permit public hearing — which takes five to six months and is estimated to cost around $5,000 — to build a sixth bedroom.
The council also requested that the city draft a more comprehensive ordinance specifically regulating mini-dorms. It would warn neighbors before developers added rooms to a home and would increase city oversight so that mini-dorms comply with city codes. The ordinance would only affect neighborhoods around Southside.
Suleyman Erdem, manager of 2521 College Ave., dubbed “Bear House” by its residents for the wooden bear statue in front, said that the property fits the new mini-dorm designation. He also supports the regulation of mini-dorms as they become more prevalent in the area.
“You have slum landlords out here who care only about the money,” Erdem said. “Some of the places I’ve seen are terrible. People’s Park is cleaner than some of these places.”
With Bear House at 13 bedrooms, many of them shared, Erdem said no additions have been made to the building since he took over management 20 years ago, and prior to housing students, the building was an assisted-living facility for the elderly.
Because of this, Erdem said the proper amenities and services can be offered, but that is not the case for many other properties he knows about in the area. Erdem said the city health department should already be more involved in checking up on properties.
“At the end of the day, the most important thing is the safety measures that are in place,” Erdem said. “That, and hygiene is a big thing too.”
Clothilde Labrousse, a UC Berkeley student, currently lives in a mini-dorm and knows the problems that come from a lack of regulation. Before she moved in, her landlord converted the attic of her building into a three-bedroom unit, and multiple units were added in the backyard.
“We don’t feel safe, because we are in an attic that has no fire escape,” she said. “We are a lot of people living on top of each other with no fire escape or anything — with no smoke detectors either — so in that sense, we feel really unsafe.”
She said the inexpensive rent and the flexibility of her lease allow her to overlook safety and hygiene issues.
Sid Lakireddy, president of Berkeley Property Owners, said the rules should be more relaxed in areas near the UC Berkeley campus, where students traditionally live. He said more regulation would drive up rent for students, exacerbating an already expensive rental market.
“Yes, I think Berkeley needs to preserve its neighborhoods,” Lakireddy said. “Yes, Berkeley has to respect its long-term residents and nontransient residents. On the other hand … students do need a cheaper alternative. Otherwise, they are going to leave Berkeley and move farther afoot and further away.”
Contact Chase Schweitzer and Simon Greenhill at [email protected] and follow them on Twitter @ChaseSchweitz and @simondgreenhill.