Betz also advised students to read their leases before signing. Betz said students should understand their leases are completely binding, even for college students. As long as you're over 18, not insane and not intoxicated, you're bound. If nothing bad can happen to students, I wouldn't have an office. Betz also said students should not rely on anything the landlord says unless it is written in the lease.
Oral promises are worthless.
What governs is the lease, not oral representation. Betz said students should check out the landlord they are leasing from, because the University community tends to forget about landlord-tenant incidents within a year or two. The Tenant Union serves as that memory, but not everybody uses the Tenant Union. Patt said students should look at the overall quality of the landlord rather than single incidents. How they treated people last year is a good indication of how they'll treat you next year.