Editorial:

When leasing in Columbia, education is key

Asking questions can protect students from being blindsided by contracts.

Published June 3, 2009

One of the college rites of passage is moving out of your parents' house and into a residence hall, and then from a residence hall to an apartment of your own. In Columbia, it seems, another rite of passage is finding out too late how much power landlords can wield.

Indeed, most students who go to Student Legal Services are asking questions about a rental dispute -- over a security deposit, late fees or repair charges. But students should be asking those questions to their landlords first, before they even put pen to paper.

Certainly, landlords should treat renters who happen to be students in their late teens or early 20s with as much respect as they would give grown adults, credit histories notwithstanding. Landlords should not go easy on students -- that knocks our feet out from under our argument when we ask for more respect, more responsibility -- but they should maintain properties and follow through on requests and promises, no matter the age of the tenant.

Students, then, must keep up the other end of the bargain: ask questions. Ask incessant questions when you are touring a potential home, when you are discussing the lease, every time your landlord contacts you. Find out what is expected of you. Speak up if something strikes you as not right. Ask questions even if you know the answer. When you ask questions, it keeps landlords on their toes.

And prepare for every meeting with your landlord. Surprise them with your foresight to take photos of the property the day you moved in. Write down the questions you have, and then take notes at your meeting.

Find out if your neighborhood has a tenants' association. Connect with your neighbors on the Internet and compare notes on what you've been through.

Get to know your landlord and his or her face, but do not trust them to inherently fight for you against their own business success. This is real life, and you have to take care of yourself because they will not take care of you.