The Student Association Tenant Union has developed a complaint form which it hopes will help in its continuing efforts to alleviate landlord-tenant problems.

Tenant Union Director Sheila McNicholas said she developed the idea after consulting with Student Legal Assistance Director Don Henderson.

“Don and Lynn (Richards, an attorney employed by legal assistance), were at a convention in Champaign and I asked them to see what University of Illinois’ Tenant Union was up to.

“Don told me about their complaint form system, and I contacted the tenant union director at U of I, Esther Patt. She told me they had been using their system for about 15 years, and I decided to start working on something similiar for our tenant union in August.”

The form consists of a cover sheet, a formal complaint form and a reply sheet.

McNicholas said, “The cover sheet asks for general information, such as the names of the tenant, the landlord and the apartment complex. It also contains a checklist which will enable the tenant to indicate the general nature of his or her complaint.”

She also said the complaint form contains more detailed questions about the identity of the parties involved and provides space for a written statement of the tenant’s complaint.

“The reply form asks specific questions of the landlord, such as his name and address and whether the statements made in the complaint were accurate.

“There is also space in the reply sheet for the landlord to make any written comments he or she may have,” McNicholas said.

“We hope these complaint forms will help to facilitate solutions to specific problems between landlords and tenants. Also, it will provide reference material for people who are thinking about moving into a given apartment complex.

“These forms will be available in the SA office for people to inspect so they can see the types of problems which previous tenants in the same apartment complex have had.

“Also, prospective tenants will be able to see if a given landlord responds quickly and effectively to complaints,” she said.

McNicholas also said the complaint form will be included in a packet of materials which will be distributed at a series of workshops which the Tenant Union will hold next January.

“The Tenant Union and Student Legal Assistance will sponsor workshops in the residence halls for students who are thinking about leaving the dorms and moving into an apartment for the first time.

She said, “We will be talking about things which every first-time renter should know, such as what questions to ask the landlord and what legal obligations are created by a lease.

“A lot of these things are matters of common sense, but they’re really important and sometimes don’t get asked for one reason or another.”