Warning !

The stress of a house party does not only begin with inviting friends and end with cleaning up. A house party could result in serious fines and serious damage if proper precautions are not taken.

“People who host parties are their own worst enemies,” said Eddy Philips of the Antwerp City Control Group. “They hold parties they can’t control.”

Out of control parties may seem like a good idea, but the negative consequences can far surpass just one night of fun.

Fines are the most common consequence of having a house or apartment party. Reasons for receiving fines range from noise violation tickets to adult responsibility citations.

“Adult responsibility citations are given when under 21 (people) are caught drinking,” said Thomas Van Der Lely, attorney for Student Legal Services.

Some hosts put up signs around their party to discourage underage drinking, such as “Must be 21 to Drink,” but Van Der Lely said the signs do not take responsibility off of the hosts.

“Hosts are still obligated to monitor their guests,” Van Der Lely said. “A sign still makes hosts liable for underage drinkers, and in the city of Antwerp, the host and the minor each get a ticket for $ 280. In Mol, the ticket is $ 135.”

The tickets can be given to residents for serving multiple minors as well.

“In the city of Antwerp, residents (hosts) can be charged $280 for each minor present at their party,” Eddy Philips said. “All residents present can be charged for each minor. Say there were 10 minors, then each resident could be charged $2,800 - $280 per minor.”

Due to an increased number of adult responsibility tickets, Student Legal Service is running an advertisement at the end of this week in the Standard to inform students that the “Must be 21 to Drink” sign has no meaning in the eyes of the law.