About 90 percent of landlords around Ball State's campus are good. As Student Legal Services' Attorney John Connor said in an article about student renting Friday, "All landlords are overshadowed by the few bad ones."
The Student Government Association is focused on the 10 percent of bad landlords. The bad landlords are a reason for the eyesores around campus and local residents' complaints about unwillingness to take responsibility. But they feed on students' inexperience, reaping tons of money on what I argue are knowingly substandard properties.
First, there is nothing wrong with greedy landlords. The rental market forces them to provide competitive housing. I do have a problem, however, with landlords who know of code violations and unethical practices.
All landlords have a responsibility because they are harvesting the profits and hold control over leases that always protect their best interests. Some leases go into so many details that they reach 20 to 30 pages of legalities. But those legalities should tell who is responsible to keep up the yard, remove snow and provide off-street parking.
They should also tell who should be contacted when the furnace fails, the toilets overflow, the basement floods, and - if you are fortunate - when bats and mice appear. When the responsible party is stated, it is not the university, the city or the students who should be accountable. The landlord should be the one to enforce the lease and make sure these maintenance concerns and living conditions are maintained.
I have heard hundreds of students' horror stories since being involved in this debate. What frustrates me is that, in most cases, landlords know about the violations but do nothing until required.
One student was telling me she lived in a house that had been converted into multiple apartments. One thing she did not know when she signed her lease (but soon found out when the shady guy who lived upstairs from her was standing in her apartment) was that all of the locks in the complex were the same. As soon as she contacted her landlord he was quick to fix the problem, but I find it hard to believe he did not know all of the locks in his house were identical.
Another story I heard came when two students received what they thought was a good deal - their landlord agreed to pay all of the gas utility. When winter came, they didn't think their furnace was working as it should. They called someone to take a look at it and were informed their furnace hadn't worked in years. The maintenance man looked around the house and found they had electric heat upstairs. This good deal caused their electric bill to be more than $400 each month. Is that ethical? You be the judge.
Those are just two stories; others have come across my desk about exposed wires, students living in laundry rooms and students showering by candlelight because their light fixtures do not work.
I anticipate bad landlords coming to the plate to talk about what students do wrong, because I agree we have some responsibility in the rental property debate. But when you hear their stories, ask yourself if they can be avoided if the landlords took the responsibility of enforcing the lease.
If you do experience problems with your rental property, the first thing you should do is contact your landlord. Remember, 90 percent of landlords are good, and all landlords want your money - that is why they are in business.
If you have problems seeing action, contact Connor in the basement of the Student Center. His services are free. If at the end of your lease you are not satisfied, make a complaint to the city's housing authority, and they will be able to keep others from suffering your headaches.
SGA will help by supporting the housing code changes being proposed to the City Council, as well as giving you the tools to be prepared when going through the rental process. Be sure to check out Daily News Classifieds for tips you can use to protect yourself.
Write to Tommy at tbrector@bsu.edu
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
