Doug Lewis, director of student legal services, smiled and asked
a group of anxious students, “Would you ever buy a used car
from an owner who wouldn’t let you see it first?”
Although most students would answer no, Lewis used this analogy to
parallel the ongoing tenant-landlord problems in Ann Arbor.

Last night, in the second meeting of the “Know Your
Rights” series hosted by the Michigan Student Assembly,
students had the opportunity to ask questions about the perils
surrounding housing leases.

Eighteen students, four of which were from MSA, gathered in the
Michigan Union to discuss housing laws and what to avoid when
signing a lease.

As students asked questions about current leases they are
considering, Lewis explained the key things students should look
for when signing a lease. “Make sure you read the dates
carefully,” Lewis said. “Students assume that if they
sign a lease for September 1st, it will last until the following
September, but most of these landlords kick you out in mid-August
so they have two weeks to clean,” Lewis said.

Lewis also said to make sure the lease provides detailed
information about the security deposit, including where it is held.
And while students should make sure that it is a
University-approved lease, the main thing they should look for is
how much control it has over their lives, Lewis said.

“Many skip over the details and all of a sudden winter
comes around and students realize they signed a lease that states
they have to shovel their sidewalk and driveway,” Lewis
said.

Lewis has practiced landlord-tenant law for over 20 years.
“The landlord-tenant relationship is an interesting concept
because tenants think, ‘it belongs to me’ and forget
that it’s still the landlord’s house,” Lewis
said. “A big conflict of interest emerges.”

Compared to other states, Michigan has more pro-tenant policies,
but problems still exist, Lewis said.

When Lewis first started tenant-landlord law, he said the rush
to rent a place did not start until May, and that was only because
students were moving out. Now, as winter approaches, many students
have already signed their leases for next fall. “The problem
is students have gotten into this feeding frenzy over
housing,” Lewis said. “Everyone competes for the
perfect house, and it just doesn’t exist.”

Landlords pressure students to get leases signed early so they
can use their tenant’s money, Lewis said. “I’ve
seen security deposits for up to $3,500 that students pay;
it’s ridiculous that for almost 10 months before you’re
even living there these landlords have free access to your
money.”

Under Michigan law, the security deposit cannot be more than one
and a half times your monthly rent, and the landlord cannot deduct
from this deposit for cleaning. “So you end up paying for the
next tenant’s clean house” Lewis said.

The prep fees and cleaning fees, which cover the costs of
getting the house ready, continue to rise each year. “When I
started, prep fees were $20. Now they’re up to $700,”
Lewis said.

As students rush to find housing for next year, many do not read
the leases they are signing. “I would bet money that 90
percent of people sign leases without reading them
completely,” Lewis said. It is a risk many students take
because of the pressure and stress that currently exists around
finding housing for next year, he added.

“The vacancy rate in Ann Arbor is not very big, but there
is a push on folks who want to live here. The bottom line is
students have to stand up for themselves and do something about
it,” Lewis said. In order to stop the increase in costs and
other issues surrounding the tenant-landlord relationship, students
need to come together and stand up for themselves.

“If when negotiating, students would simply walk away, or
even threaten to walk away things would change,” Lewis said.
The problem is, students are so caught up in the competition to
find a house that they don’t walk out, and the frenzy
continues.

Sonja Dawsey, an LSA freshman who attended the meeting, found it
really helpful. “I feel in more control now. Before I thought
the landlord had all this power, but now I realize that I also have
a say,” Dawsey said.

Jesse Levine, general counsel of MSA, said the purpose of the
meeting was “to inform students about their legal rights when
signing a lease.”

Levine said the housing rush has temporarily given the landlords
the upper hand.

“We’re trying to change that trend and empower
students,” he said.