OUR VIEW: Renters need to be wary and proactive

Property owners and apartment managers juggling multiple projects too often drop the concerns of their tenants. But busy college students worrying about finances let apartment managers off the hook too often.

When apartment hunting off campus, the first thing college students on a budget notice is the rent. Most renters will do a walk-through inspection of an apartment, of course, but a monthly rent in the neighborhood of $200 a month – not unheard of in Logan – will cover up more flaws than a double coat paint on the walls.

After spending a couple of months in an apartment, however, renters may notice areas in dire need of improvement. A leaky faucet, a broken major appliance or even a tattered screen door in the summer will need to be fixed eventually, but finding the time to dig up the apartment manager’s contact info and letting him or her know can be a pain. If the renter is only paying a couple hundred dollars a month, their concerns may be neglected for longer than projects in higher-rent properties.

A standard rental agreement, as well as the laws in most municipalities, prohibit renters from undertaking major repairs on their own. So if a tenant’s refrigerator is broken and the property manager loses the work order in a disorganized shuffle of papers, the fridge won’t get fixed. Sure, many managers and owners could stand to be more organized, but wishing won’t make it happen. Student renters need to be persistent, and they need to be proactive.

If you don’t have a copy of your rental agreement, you need one. If you haven’t read yours recently, read it. And perhaps more importantly, look up the tenant/landlord ordinances in your community. For Logan, it’s the Logan City Tenant/Landlord Responsibilities Ordinance, available online if you search loganutah.org. If you don’t know the rules, your landlord may inadvertently or intentionally take advantage of you.

So read up. Logan’s ordinances mean landlords have the legal responsibility to repair certain appliances and fixtures – and if they fail to do so within a set length of time, tenants can take action and deduct the cost from the next month’s rent, if they do it according to the law.

Be smart. Be proactive. Know your rights. Landlords can’t change contract terms once you’ve signed without your consent, and they can’t break the law – even if your rent is pretty cheap.