4 OPINION U P U~ *WS5~5 ~ S ~~** P y1f ae d F uwiw Friday, September 5, 1986 The Michiaen Deity Even new student tenants have rights 4 This is a busy time of year in the landlord tenant business. Forastudents it is the time to return to Ann Arbor or move within. For landlords that means an opportunity to pick up some extra money in the midst of the confusion. For the Tenants Union it is time to help students get an equitable housing situation. STUDENT TENANTS Most students rent housing in the campus area some time during their careers as students at the University. This. is desirable in many ways. Students report they like everything about off campus living except the landlord. If this becomes your situation, the Ann Arbor Tenants Union is available to help. Landlords and housing bureaucrats perpetuate myths that students are not good tenants. This is untrue. Students pay top dollar for apartments. This high price is based more on location than upkeep, so maintenance costs of student apartments are often lower than for other apartments. Landlord profits on student apartments have been reported to be 20 to 30 percent per year. Rent increases of $50 to $150 are not uncommon around campus. Do not believe the landlord who tells you that students are bad tenants or the building is not profitable. These are common false statements. Do not believe the housing bureaucrats who keep these myths circulating. In the future the Tenants Union will report on bureaucratic favoritism to landlords and the results for tenants. Today's report is designed to help you deal with some of the common problems of moving in to a new apartment. CLEAN APARTMENT UPON MOVE- IN Ann Arbor city law says that dwellings:are to be clean upon move- in. A 1,sie state law which applies to all landlords says that the basic duties of the landlord to maintain and repair all rental properties cannot be waived in a lease of less than a year. Ann Arbor city law has defined a clean apartment upon move-in as part of the basic standard for the city. The right to a clean apartment cannot be waived. Only campus landlords believe a year is shorter than 12 months/52 weeks/365 days. Landlords near campus often start leases on or after the first day of school and end the lease the third week of August. This creates numerous problems for students. Students who want to move-in on a reasonable date get problems from the landlord. Some landlords, such as Campus Management, demand that the ten~ants waive the right to a clean apartment. Faced with a need to move-in most people sign the "waiver." This practice is coercive. The fact that it occurs with great frequency near campus and little in other places suggests collusion on the part of campus landlords. If you have signed the waiver, do not worry. Coercion is not proper in contracts and you should be able to get your money back. Make an appointment with Student Legal Services or the Tenatits Union and let's see what can be done. Over the past few years the Michigan court system has agreed with tenants and tenants' attorneys that "dirt is not damage." This is a simple fact that most people can agree with. For example, if you wash your blue jeans that is different, than repairing them by sewing. To get around the court decisions some landlords charge cleaning fees. These fees are an attempt to pass on to tenants the cost of cleaning the apartment between tenants. Many tenants report that their new apartment is not clean upon move-in. Cleaning fees which are refundable are not legal. Baker Management for example has a detailed list of charges which it plans on taking out of your money if you don't clean as you leave. These are improper charges. Cleaning fees which are held for the length of your stay and then used to clean up after you are more properly called security deposits. As security deposits, the money cannot be used for cleaning. MOST FEES ARE NOT LEGAL Most fees charged by landlords are not enforceable in court. Landlords may know that a fee is not allowed by law. The landlord may bet that many people don't know their rights or how to get them enforced. This bet is popular as judged by the large number of unenforceable fees which appear in leases. Some of the unenforceable fees which appear in leases include: *Late fees over the real cost of the money's being late, generally less than five dollars. *The Ann Arbor campus landlord who blocks tenants' cars into the driveway and demands $25 or he'll have the\city tow the car for being, in the "wrong place." *The Ypsilanti camp- us landlord who only rents to women students and demands to be informed each time a tenant has an overnight guest. He tries to charge five dollars per night for guests who stay more than two times in a month. *Liquidated damages charges for leaving a lease early. ACCESS TO HELP Landlords take advantage of tenants who do not know their rights. Most tenant rights are less than twenty years old and there are few organizations wailable to consistently give accurate advice to tenants. Students at the U, Ann Arbor are fortunate to have Student Legal Services and the Ann Arbor Tenants Union available to help. Both these organizations were founded by students and have grown and matured through the support of students. Student Legal Services (SLS) can be reached at 763-9920. SLS is a pre-paid legal plan for U, AA students. Appointments are required and you must be currently enrolled. The Ann Arbor Tenants Union does phone counseling Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and offers in person tenants clinics every Wednesday at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.. Other hours are available by appointment. By the Ann Arbor Tenants Union 4 f 1 1 r 7 - -r '' S Atit'f A SA ct''C3Af 'A b x law* II 'Ilk o I I GMR MS t "itilr ' M O1TH -OME E5S , .M ON VAC, znTtt. " + a f 1 i e mtutsan Michig an l Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan LETTERS: Promote justice through education Vol. XCVII, No. 2 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MV48109 Unsigned editorials represent a majority of the Daily's Editorial Board All other cartoons, signed articles, and letters do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily. Back to school Welcome September 1986. Leaves are still green on the trees and crisp in new books lined up on shelves, unpacked from boxes, scattered over bedroom floors around campus. Dusty Ann Arbor heat trickles like sweat through fresh clothes; tough feet cram into uncomfortable shoes. Remains of summer are snapshots on the wall, salt air scented letters, fading tans, unchewed pencils. Bells ring in Burton Tower signaling change of class. School again. School for many students can be too much like new shoes: uncomfortable, expensive, for- mal. But education isn'tl t limited to note-taking corn - pleting problem sets, and writing papers. At the Uni- versity, it's a whole way of life that tuition doesn't include. It's getting comfortable in Ann Arbor again, or for the first time. Hanging out with friends, teaing at Drakes, playing in the Diag. It means making decisions about how to spend time: at a jazz concert or a movie, going to the library or the football game, drinking at Old Town or listening to a speaker at important. They are a channel to the bigger picture, to an enormous amount of information from which to expand d basic understanding of the material. Though not every class has immediate practical appli- cation, each one offers a different way of thinking. Sometimes it's frustrating to focus on something completely new. Often it's hard to acknowledge other points of view. Deciphering what makes sense and choosing sources of reference for personal projects are real means of challenging self and professors. Questioning authority is key to that constant challenge, though sifting through "facts" in textbooks, newspaper articles, and political rhetoric can be tedious, it is crucial. In the process, you learn to criticize everything; from Preacher Jim, to your best friend, to yourself. It is a long and difficult journey, especially in uncomfortable shoes. But after a while walking around Ann Arbor, the pain begins to subside and you find there are places you want to explore and others you would To the Daily: Are you furious--or scared--at the state of the world? Do you have some ideas about public education on peace and justice that you have never carried out? Do you have questions about recent events? The Michigan Alli - ance for Disarmament is a five year old group working for peace and social justice through education and action. Our office is in the Performance Network at 410 W. Washington, (two blocks west of ,Main Street). In past years we have sponsored The Connection, a monthly journal; an Ann Arbor Nuclear Free Zone campaign; monthly educati- onal talks by speakers from in and out of the area; demonstrations at Williams International in nearby Walled Lake, where Cruise Missile Engines are made; a series of pamphlets... This year, we will be taking up the ideas you bring to our general meeting and continuing some. ongoing projects. Cur - rent plans include local coordination of the national boycott of General Electric (third largest nuclear weapons contractor), work against military research on campus and in town, writing and publishing of The Connection and our pamphlet series, and much more. What can we do? A speaker from Berkeley, CA will do a slide show on effective political actions that can be taken by small groups. Get in touch with what is happening in other parts of, the country, Friday, Sept- ember 12, 7:30 p.m in Angell Hall. Journalists, writers , graphic artists--join the staff of The Connection, a joirnal covering local and inter - national affairs. There will be Connection organizing meetings at the Michigan Union on Wed. September 17 and 24, 7:30 p.m. Other weeks the committee meets every Wed. at the MAD offices, 7:30. p.m. What's happening in the Philippines?' Dr. Walden Bello, a leading expert on the Philippines, author of several works, will speak on September 19, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., at the Center for South and Southeast Asian studies, Lane Hall. MAD's general meeting for the fall will be Thursday, September 25 , Michigan Union, 7:30 p.m. Physics prof. Daniel Axelrod and Janis Michael, MAD's chairman, will give keynote talks and we will discuss activities for the fall. There will be a MAD fundraiser book sale on Saturday, September 27. We will be selling books of all shapes, sizes, and sorts, really cheap in the Wolverine room, Michigan Union, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Call. 995-0183 to contribute books or help with the sale. If you are interested in helping, but can't make a meeting, be sure to call us at 995-0183 or 995-5871. See you soon. --Janis Michael IN 198; Ti &J)o 6TP PAL & PAT PROFERTSON iTO RUN WITI4 AL NMG- September 3 i c To SPEAKS M ti # ,1 1 f IT'S 1:1 C TRU )o L136 N' ui 4 4 i d .R !b t # . Y 4 Bd s 4- q t n , I