As the time nears for Madison residents to sign apartment leases for next year, a new ordinance involving the rights and responsibilities of tenants in the city of Madison is in the works.
The City Council is in the process of reviewing an ordinance that, if passed, would require landlords to give tenants a document concerning tenant rights and responsibilities before they sign a lease.
“One of the biggest problems we as students face is that most of us are first- or second-time renters and are not aware of many of the rights that we have as tenants, or the responsibilities that we have as tenants,” said Ald. Todd Jarrell, District 8. “Knowledge is power. If a tenant doesn’t know their rights and they are taken advantage of, then how can they have them enforced?”
Currently, resources available to educate tenants about their rights and responsibilities are limited. The Tenant Resource Center and Apartment Association can only reach so many people, so some City Council members feel such an ordinance is a more practical way to reach tenants.
“Landlords tell us this is one way to educate tenants,” said Ald. Brenda Konkel, District 2, a sponsor of the ordinance. “Hopefully this is a way to do so and also provide [the tenants] with recourses.”
As the ordinance is currently written, each building’s inspection unit would prepare the document. It would explain to tenants their rights and responsibilities regarding payments, maintenance and cleanliness of premises, as well as the tenant’s responsibilities concerning damages to the property. Such a document would also give tenants contact information for their building inspector, which most tenants rarely have.
Under Madison law, landlords need to give 24-hour notice to enter an apartment unless there is an emergency. Furthermore, they may only charge 5 percent of your month’s rent for a late fee. These are among the rights Jarrell said many tenants do not know.
“I think it’s a win-win situation, as tenants don’t know who to call when they have problems,” Konkel said.
The document is still being developed, and will most likely be brought up for proposal at the first council meeting in December, Jarrell said.
When the ordinance was proposed, discussion arose about a potential standard lease for the city of Madison. Such a law would require all landlords to use the same lease. However, this was not included in the Tenant’s Rights and Responsibilities ordinance.
“This [ordinance] actually allows for landlords to have some freedom rather than having a standard lease,” Konkel said.
The landlords the sponsors have met with so far support the ordinance, but Jarrell said he suspects some will argue against the additional paperwork.
“I’ve heard horror stories from tenants about bad landlords,” Jarrell said. “I’ve also heard stories from landlords where students didn’t understand the implications behind their lease.”