It seems like living in substandard housing is a rite of passage for college students and an inevitable occurrence for anyone that makes below 30,000 and has to rent. Rental properties are often times allowed to slip into disrepair by negligent landlords (not just private landlords but the companies) who take advantage of the need for cheap housing and the willingness to live in decrepit homes. When these rentals start looking worn it makes their neighborhoods look worn, when they become the opposite of energy efficient it hikes up the city's energy needs and punishes the renter's wallet instead of the landlord. Renters need to know that they have housing rights and that asking their landlord to make repairs isn't going to put them in danger of losing their home. I'll get off my soap box now but I do think it is time for landlords to be held accountable for the state of their properties and the well being of their renters.