RENTERS' RIGHTS...
AND WRONGS
The tenant-landlord
relationship requires
respect and privacy
BY SAMANTHA BATES
DAILY EMERALD FREELANCE REPORTER
The house was a wreck.
A closet door lay broken
on the ground with bent
window screens. Cigarette
burns and water marks littered
the windowsills. There were
too many stains on the carpet
to count. The bathroom door
jamb was splintered from
being kicked in. In the
kitchen, there were maggots
on the cutting board.
“This is why I dislike rent
ing to younger tenants without
a rental history,” said Jim
Straub, the property manager
of the 5-year-old house. “My
houses are spotless when I
give them to a tenant. This
gives you an idea of what nine
months can do to a property.”
Straub, 32, is vice presi
dent of the Rental Owners
Association and is the third
generation owner of several
property management com
panies in Eugene. After a
month-long process that
started with the tenants not
paying rent, he went through
court proceedings and had
the tenants evicted.
“This one is just really bad,”
he said. “It’s very rare.”
This is a prime example of
tenants not knowing their
rights and responsibilities when
it comes to renting a house.
Straub said landlords can
choose to not rent to students.
“You can legally discrimi
nate against students as long
as that is the only reason
you’re not allowing them,”
he said.
Such discrimination is al
lowed because students are
not a designated minority
group. Some property owners
may choose not to rent to stu
dents because of high
turnover or wear and tear on
the house.
Most tenant responsibilities
are outlined in the rental
agreement, which tenants and
RIGHTS, page 12B
FOR
RENT
Alex Paiunas | Freelance photographer
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Erik Bishoff | Freelance photographer
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