XXII: Apartment Assignment Procedure
A. Definitions
1. A “remaining resident” is a member who resides in an apartment and will continue to reside in the same apartment the following term.
2. A “Rochdale transfer” is a member who resides at Rochdale and transfers to another Rochdale apartment during pull-in weekend. A “Fenwick transfer” is a member who resides at Fenwick and transfers to another Fenwick apartment during pull-in weekend.
3. A “pull-in” at Fenwick and Rochdale is a member not residing in the apartment who has at least 3/4 of a point and is pulled into an apartment for residence the following contract term. A "pull-in" at Northside is a member with at least 2 points, 2 semesters as a registered non-member roommate, or combination of both.
4. A “bidding team” is one or more members who win a spot or spots in an apartment during bidding night.
5. An “assigned member” is a member who is assigned an apartment spot via the normal assignments procedure.
6. A “Northside roommate” is a BSC member pulled-in to a Northside one-bedroom by a one-person winning team.
7. A “Northside non-member roommate” is someone who is not a BSC member and who:
- a. was brought into a Northside one bedroom by a one-person winning team; or
- b. was a member of the winning bidding team, has resided in their apartment as a member for at least one term, has the consent of the remaining winning bidding team member to continue residing with them, and did not lose BSC membership due to conduct violations.
8. A "Fenwick roommate" is a BSC member pulled-in to a Fenwick one-bedroom by a one-person winning team. Roommates in Fenwick will be restricted to current BSC members.
9. One person may occupy a one-bedroom in Fenwick or Northside and will pay administrative overhead for just one person.
B. Pull-ins
1. Following the transfer/cancellation deadline remaining current residents may fill vacancies in their apartments by pulling-in applicants from the Eligibility List.
2. Each remaining current resident and/or Rochdale/Fenwick transfer may pull-in only one eligible member.
3. There will be a set timeframe for the pull-in process to occur.
4. If an individual member wins a one-bedroom apartment, they may choose a roommate without restriction, except as noted in XXII.A.8.
5. Under no circumstances shall "Fenwick or Northside roommates" have pull-in rights. Roommates must vacate their apartment at the end of the term for which the vacancy occurred.
6. Pull-in / Bidding Process
- A. If the winning team dissolves before the beginning of the contract period, the remaining members may pull-in to beat the highest losing bid, or lose the apartment.
- B. If the team dissolves after they move in but prior to six weeks into the contract period, the remaining team members may pull-in to beat the highest losing bid.
7. Pull-ins
- A. A member who pulls-in another must live with the pulled-in member for at least six weeks in order for the pulled-in member to earn squatter’s rights.
- B. If the member exercising pull-in privileges cancels before the contract period begins, the pulled-in member loses the spot.
- C. If the member exercising pull-in privileges cancels prior to six weeks, the pulled-in member may remain in the apartment for the remainder of the semester only, and shall not earn squatters’ rights.
8. Northside pull-ins: In contrast to remaining residents who had been part of a winning bidding team, pulled-in members at Northside have restricted squatter’s rights. If the final member of the bidding team vacates the apartment before the pulled-in member does, the pulled-in member may hold the apartment for following term with squatter’s rights only if:
- (a) The pulled-in member has enough points to beat the Highest Losing Bid; or,
- (b) The pulled-in member pulls-in another member to beat the Highest Losing Bid.
Otherwise, the apartment will be put up for bid. The pulled-in member may compete in this bidding process provided that they are an eligible BSC member with at least 2 points. If the pulled-in member fails to win the apartment in this open bidding process, they will be required to vacate the apartment at the end of the term.
C. Apartment Bidding Process
1. The Housing Department determines which apartment spaces are open for bidding
2. All eligible members may “submit a bid” by filling out an online “bid form”, or application for a special bidding application period
3. Members rank their housing preferences
- a. For purposes of the special bidding application period, a preference is a specific apartment, or space in an apartment
4. Members list their roommate choices (the rest of their bidding team)
- a. Members of a bidding team must all mutually list one another
- b. All members must be eligible for the apartment; otherwise, no assignment will be made (i.e., all must be UCB students for Rochdale or Fenwick).
5. The highest bidder, or bidding team, for each vacancy is assigned.
6. One or two members may bid for a Northside or Fenwick one-bedroom apartment.
D. Spring Apartment Bidding Process
1. The Housing Department determines vacancies in the apartments and notifies eligible current residents if they have pull-in rights
- a. The Housing Department manually assigns all valid pull-in requests submitted before the deadline
2. The Housing Department determines which apartment spaces are open for bidding
- a. Bidding process then occurs (as outlined in XXII: C)
E. Late Vacancies
1. A late vacancy is created when a member is granted a transfer out of an apartment, cancels their contract, or refuses an offer after the transfer/cancellation deadline.
2. Pull-ins do not have pull-in privileges for the term in which they were pulled-in.
3. If a late vacancy is created by a current resident, only another remaining resident may pull someone in.
4. Each remaining resident may fill only one vacancy in their apartment by the pull-in process.
5. For the first term of residence at Fenwick and Rochdale only: if a late vacancy or transfer vacancy is created by a member of a bidding team, only the remaining members of the team shall have pull-in privileges, provided however, the resulting total point count of the new team is equal or greater than the total point count of the original bid team.
6. When a vacancy occurs, the remaining members shall have forty-eight hours, from the time they are notified, in which to exercise their pull-in privileges.
7. A Northside non-member roommate has no rights to an apartment should their member roommate create a late vacancy.
8. If a vacant apartment becomes available as a result of late cancellations, it shall be held for special bid.
9. In the event that a winning bidder transitions to the status of “non-member roommate,” as described in A(7) of this policy, this transition of status shall not constitute a “vacancy.”
10. In the event a winning bidder does vacate a one-bedroom Northside apartment, the remaining member of the bidding team may hold the apartment alone only if they beat the Highest Losing Bid with their points. Otherwise, the remaining member must exercise pull-in privileges consistent with section A(3) of this policy.
F. Northside Non-Member Roommate Procedure
1. A one-person winning team in a Northside one-bedroom apartment may designate any non-member as their roommate. A remaining member of a winning bidding team may have a non-member roommate within the parameters set by section A(7) of this policy.
2. A member at Northside with a non-member roommate must register their non-member roommate with the Central Office prior to their roommate taking up residence. Failure to do so may result in penalties per the BSC Guest Policy.
3. A member at Northside with a non-member roommate shall sign a contract addendum acknowledging their responsibilities with regards to their non-member roommate.
4. A Member at Northside with a non-member roommate will be charged an additional once-per-semester fee equal to 20% of the Northside one bedroom rate.
5. The Northside non-member roommate must comply with all BSC conduct policies, and all conduct related cases will be enforced per the conduct policies for non-members.
6. The Northside non-member roommate must comply with all BSC apartment workshift policies.
G. Miscellaneous Clarifications
1. All apartments not assigned in the manner prescribed above will be assigned by the Housing Department as prescribed in the assignment priority outlined in section V.A.
2. After one term of residence, pull-ins, bidders, and transfers have all the rights and privileges of remaining residents at Fenwick and Rochdale. See section B(8) above for specific provisions governing Northside pull-in rights.
3. The winning bidding team must move into the apartment together and live in the apartment for at least six weeks in order to earn squatters’ rights.
4. Wheelchair accessible units at Northside must be offered according to the following order of priority:
- 1. Non-UC Berkeley students who require wheelchair accessible accommodations.
- 2. UC Berkeley Students who require wheelchair accessible accommodations.
- 3. The general membership.
This ordering supersedes squatters rights. No contract may be offered to groups 2 or 3 until after the cancellation deadline.
5. These policies are to be interpreted reasonably and consistently. In case of conflict, the ultimate interpretation shall be given by the BSC AdHoc Committee.
[Board approved 4/16/15, amended 4/18/19]
[Updated 8/7/19] [Board approved 3-18-21, Updated 4-12-21]