The standardized lease proposed by the Undergraduate Student Government last week at an open forum is just what Carbondale needs to iron out its problems with landlord-tenant relationships.

Unfortunately landlords feel differently, saying the lease is unnecessary, and that relationships are a personal issue between landlords and tenants. The concerns expressed by landlords are unwarranted, and the standardized lease should be allowed to go through.

Mayor Neil Dillard has said the public is the most influential when it comes to dealing with landlords, and the city is only responsible for ensuring landlords are meeting the minimum requirements. If the Carbondale City Council is not willing to make any changes, the members should seriously consider such a proposal, because it is being proposed by the very public that is supposed to be influential.

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The main purpose of the standard lease was to clear up miscommunication and disputes between landlords and tenants. Since the vast majority of renters in Carbondale are students, USG took the initiative and drew up a standardized lease to be applied to landlords. Basing the idea on a similar lease in Chicago, Carbondale’s lease covers all of the bases a regular lease would, yet does so in simple manner that is easily understood. There should be no misconception about what a student is getting into when renting from someone because all landlords will be going off the same criteria. This is just one more step in the betterment of housing in Carbondale.

Despite the disappointing turnout by both landlords and students at the open forum, many concerns and opinions were voiced. One of the main concerns by landlords was a section of the lease that required a 48-hour notice to tenants concerning the showing of property to prospective renters. The landlords present stressed the difficulty in notifying students of a showing because most students want to see the place on the spot.

The 48-hour notice is far from unreasonable because it should be the responsibility of landlords to inform all tenants their place may be shown to prospective renters. Designated showrooms are a good idea, but it would be more realistic to show a prospective tenant the actual unit they would be renting so they truly do know what they are getting into. If all units are continuously maintained by a collective effort between landlord and tenant such an idea should not be a problem. The 48-hour notice would also let the tenant make the unit appropriate to be seen, which could be the deciding factor between someone renting or not renting from a landlord.

Any business would have a problem being dictated what its practices should be. The standardized lease does not require a landlords to make massive changes in their properties, but it does provide a world of security to the occupant.