If opening the envelope containing your security deposit made you well up in tears, pound your fists into the ground and proclaim “never again!” – you are not alone my friend.
Whether it involves taking a hefty slice out of your security deposit pie or refusing to make those repairs you’ve requested, landlords abuse their student tenants each year, often with no repercussions. This travesty is the result of one factor – we let them.
Call it a simple matter of not knowing our tenant Miranda rights. While we, as students, are great at complaining and cursing the names of the MPMs and Steve Browns of the world, we often fail to take action when we’ve been wronged. With so many safeguards in place to protect us from abuse, it is our duty to arm ourselves with a little knowledge and exercise our tenant rights.
As a helpful woman at the Tenant Resource Center informed me, Madison residents have more protections than any other residents in the state. Ironically, the student tenant population falls disproportionally victim to abuse, especially when dealing with large management companies. These companies know that students are na?ve, apathetic, or just too scared to retaliate. To assert ourselves and defeat landlord foes, I would like to propose three simple rules for all student tenants: 1. Exercise caution; 2. Know your rights; 3. Fight the power.
Rule number one is a lesson in common sense. First off, be careful about signing a lease too early. Unless you desire an apartment with a prime location, do not buy into the “there will be no apartments left unless you sign NOW!” hysteria. There is not a housing shortage. You will not be left to wander the streets or make College Library (open 24 hours!) your home. Wait until second semester. You may even save money on rent as your landlord will be more desperate to fill the vacancy, thus more willing to negotiate on the price.
This first rule also applies to being meticulous about filling out the damage report when you first move into a new place. Large management companies have hundreds of units to monitor and probably do not have an intimate knowledge of each apartment they rent. In their minds, their properties are in pristine condition. Those dents in the wall and stains on the carpet do not even exist – unless you write them down! Do not succumb to laziness when filling out a damage report or you will pay for it directly out of your security deposit. Also, do not trust your landlord to keep accurate paperwork. Save copies of your damage report and your lease. By exercising such caution, you will prevent many potential abuses.
Once you have settled into your carefully chosen house or apartment, follow rule number two and take some time to learn your rights. Utilize the Tenant Resource Center – www.tenantresourcecenter.org – to make this task painless. Their website spells out all the nuances specific to Madison residents in simple language. Take time to learn which repairs are your landlord’s responsibility and which are your own. Become familiar with what sorts of deductions to expect from your security deposit and know which are outright illegal, even if they are included in your lease. This will make it easier to follow rule number three.
If after reviewing your rights, you notice that your landlord has violated them, it is time to take action. You don’t need to be a wall clock-wearing rapper to fight the power. If you can write a letter, you can fight the power. Be specific about your complaint and your desired outcome. For example, if you notice that you have been charged for routine carpet cleaning – which is illegal – kindly state the violation and cite the broken law (MGO 32.11(9)). Then, give a reasonable deadline for a refund. In the meantime, don’t wait to cash your partial check. There is a provision in place that allows tenants to cash their checks while still disputing the amount. Again, this is when knowing your rights comes in handy and ultimately, saves you money.
Tenant rights is a cause gaining serious momentum on campus. By attending the City Council meeting last week, we made our voices heard and sent the message that we will not be bullied by our landlords. However, before we can demand additional rights, we must demonstrate that we know our current rights and that we are not afraid of exercising them. Do not let the stereotype of the apathetic college student prevail. Call out your landlord for each incident of abuse. Besides, there is no better time than college to stick it to the Man, man.
Holly Hartung ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in journalism and communication arts.
