Maintaining a cooperative relationship between a landlord and tenant is the best bet for obtaining high-quality housing at a fair price.  Cooperation drives costs down.  As costs drop, honest landlords will reduce rental rates.
  We could achieve a high level of cooperation between landlords and tenants by creating a union.  This tenant-landlord union would serve many functions:  Most importantly, a tenant-landlord union could provide information to renters on responsibilities, fair legal practices, and neighborhood statistics.  A tenant union could also keep a complaint database on landlords and tenants, and act as a mediator for disputes.
  Property managers attribute many housing problems to either the ignorance or the irresponsibility of tenants.  Property managers call this the mommy effect.  Persons affected by the mommy effect never learn basic housekeeping skills:  How to change the air filter, how to prevent pipes from freezing, how to use the washer, and what will—and will not—flush down the toilet.
  When landlords and tenants cooperate and communicate about tenant responsibilities, the mommy effect disappears.  When tenants stop causing these problems, overhead operation costs decrease.
  Besides providing information about tenant responsibilities, a tenant-landlord union could provide legal information to renters.  For instance, security deposit law is simple, but few students know their rights:  The landlord must return the security deposit, with an explanation of charges, 30 days after a tenant vacates.  If your landlord does not return this deposit on time, the landlord loses the right to retain any portion of the deposit.
  Landlords that own more than ten units must place security deposits in an interest-generating escrow account.  If they fail to do this, the tenant is entitled to triple damages and attorney’s fees.
  Similarly, landlord liability is unknown to most tenants.  Landlords can be responsible for accidents that result from poor upkeep.
  Also, if a landlord fails to keep a property in repair, the tenant may fix the problem.  After the tenant repairs the unit, she may set the cost of repair against the rent.
  A tenant-landlord union could provide valuable crime statistics on neighborhoods, and provide location information.  Some landlords tend to exaggerate the actual location of their properties.  A tenant-landlord union could set strict definitions for unit location. By strictly defining subjective terms like near, we could eliminate false claims of convenient locations.
  A tenant-landlord union could keep a database of problem tenants and landlords, and provide complaint mediation.
  Similar to a Better Business Bureau, this database and mediation service could solve disputes without resulting to costly legal action.  Complaint accounts could be held not only on landlords, but also on irresponsible tenants.
-Chris Hoofnagle is a senior from Bethesda, MD.