Bad Landlords: Leveraging the Interweb

Especially for commuter schools like the one I attend, there are a lot of students who have problems with landlords. Sometimes those problems are warranted; there are bad student renters. Then there are those landlords who simply do not follow state laws.



The legal department at my school handles lots of cases with landlords who violate contracts and state laws – and with a lot of repeat customers. Why not have a clearinghouse of such information, to create a reputation economy like that of eBay?



The military had lists of landlords that you simply may not rent from off base (and other businesses to avoid). They create these lists simply because so many soldiers have had problems with them, they’ve violated equal rights laws, and the like. These lists have huge amounts of power in the local community, especially when the base is a major economic force.



Universities and colleges are likewise economic forces in thier community. They should use this power to assist thier students. It is in the best interests of themselves and the students they serve.





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