Now that this year's rental rush is, for the most part, over, it's important to begin reflecting on your current living situation. Things probably aren't as rosy as you thought they would be when you decided to sign the lease on your apartment or house.
There are always stories about that one elusive landlord, the one who shows up the second you call and is handy in all sorts of situations, but they're probably not your landlord. Chances are, you probably have a pretty long list of things that are wrong with your apartment, and you've told your landlord countless times to fix them before they become a serious problem. But there are steps you can take to ensure that you live comfortably until Aug. 15th.
As a tenant, you have rights. And tenants have more rights than most people are aware of. That's why we have a Tenant Resource Center. It's a place for tenant education, as well as arbitration. The TRC helps Madison residents reach agreements with landlords so little issues don't have to get dragged out in the courts.
Unfortunately, the TRC is an underutilized resource and doesn't have the financial stability to truly reach out to students, leaving a void in education and information. We can blame it on the TRC's inconvenient location on Willy Street, but in reality, the same reason that students don't threaten legal action on their landlords is the same reason they don't make the trek to the TRC. Students do not have the time or the knowledge to stand up to their landlords for negligence and other issues.
Recently, ASM removed a proposal for a student tenant resource center from the upcoming budget because of funding concerns. This follows the zero-funding decision made last year regarding the proposal. The proposed student tenant resource center had the potential to create the necessary conduit between student tenants and landlords, and should be a priority for ASM. This is something that is well worth our segregated fees, and would definitely make an input in the greater Madison community.
Students come to UW as freshmen, move into the dorms and make plans to move out of the dorms as early as October. The university needs to acknowledge that many of its dorm residents do not return and plan accordingly. It is important to make sure that first time renters know what they're getting into when they sign a lease, and that they have defined rights for dealing with landlords and issues with rental properties. Many students write off poor conditions in their homes as a byproduct of living in a college house, but this doesn't have to be the case. The student body needs an authority on the subject that can function like the TRC, but is tailored to students needs.
Ignorant renters do not benefit themselves, their landlord or the community. The lack of knowledge about living situations contributes to the overall deterioration of many houses in Madison, and these are simple problems that can be avoided with education and outreach.
The TRC does not have the resources available to outreach to students as much as they should or as much as it would like. The university needs to provide a place where students can learn about their rights and settle landlord-tenant relationship issues.
