Students and landlords have found ways to circumvent a city ordinance designed to standardize the process of apartment rental.

Beginning in 2000, the Tenant’s Right to Privacy Act banned local landlords from showing their property to perspective renters until after Dec. 15, attempting to avoid the rush of rentals in October and November for next fall. As a result, students are touring apartments independent of landlords and continuing to rent early, perpetuating the problem the ordinance was meant to remedy.

Members of the Madison Housing Committee were hoping it would keep landlords from parading people around their apartments as early as two weeks after the new tenants had moved in.

“It was a matter of privacy. We just didn’t think it was fair to the people who had just moved in,” said Philip Ejercito, a member of the Housing Committee. “The problem is, now people are coming by at the same rate, just without the landlord.”

In addition to keeping landlords out of the apartments, the Housing Committee also hoped to stem the rush at the beginning of October in which students feel the need to find their apartment to rent for the next year.

“We really want students to realize that they don’t need to re-sign their lease or go look for a new one a mere two months after they move in,” Ejercito said. “A lot of this problem just has to do with education. We need people to realize this isn’t the best way to go about renting apartments.”

General Manager of Steven Brown Apartments Meggan Allen believes the ordinance works well regarding tenant privacy, but puts the realtor in a hard place when looking to rent out apartments for the upcoming year.

“It’s hard when we aren’t able to ask tenants what their renewal plans are, even if we are getting applications in for their space,” Allen said. “We don’t want to turn away perspective rents, but we want to be respectful of our current renters’ privacy.”

“While it’s a noble attempt, I don’t really think the act works at all,” said University of Wisconsin senior Katie Jensen. “We have had people knocking on our door at least ten times in the past month. At first it isn’t bad, but then it just gets annoying. Although, landlords are going to have to show the apartment at some point, so I guess it doesn’t really matter when they start coming through.”

Ejercito believes that something has to be done in order to make the law more effective.

The Housing Committee was supposed to begin talks on the act last year, but they were sidetracked with zoning issues.

“Hopefully we will resume talks very soon. I don’t know what has to be done yet, but eventually it will be taken care of,” Ejercito said. “We’re not going to come up with the perfect solution, but hopefully it will become better.”

The only complaints landlords have lodged with the Housing Committee have concerned tenants who are unhappy with the amount of people knocking on doors and asking for a tour.

“I always feel like I have to give a tour when people knock. I feel bad since I’m going through the same thing,” Jensen said.

“Students need to realize that the don’t have to let everyone who knocks into their apartment. Once they stop doing that, perhaps the law would be more effective,” Ejercito said.