“Knowledge is power.” This motto has been used by the Tenant Union since its beginning. Sept. 20 will mark 40 years since the Tenant Union arrived to campus.

The Tenant Union is a free service provided by the University to assist students to find the right apartments and to solve landlord problems. This type of organizations used to be widespread, as seven out of the Big Ten universities had them in the late 1960s. Now, the programs only exist in the Big Ten at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Illinois.

Esther Patt, the director of the Tenant Union for the past 32 years, said support from the University has become very important now.

“Mostly the reason that there aren’t more tenant unions around schools is because university administrators did not consider the program as a high enough priority,” she said. “At one point, there was an exchange of information with Iowa and all the other universities, so it feels lonely to now be one of the few tenant unions.”

Paul Smith, owner of Smith Apartments, said the University’s Tenant Union has a better relationship with local apartment owners now.

“The Tenant Union now works more with the landlords than they used to,” Smith said. “Together as a team, (they) help the students and the landlords to provide good housing.”

Patt said students are guided by the program to learn how to solve various leasing problems.

“We give people advice and talk with them about strategies with dealing with the landlord,” she said. “Students need to check complaint records, have their lease released and take pictures when moving out of the apartments.”

Patt said students usually visit its offices for repair problems and damage deposit disputes.

“Repairs include pest control, roof leaks, moles, cockroach infections and a variety of things,” Patt said. “We also advise students on roommate problems. We see hundreds of students every year who are having problems with roommates.”

Ritika Mohan, a graduate student from LAS, said the Tenant Union has been beneficial for her when searching for housing options.

“(Before going to the Tenant Union) I didn’t know we had these landlords in the area,” Mohan said. “A lot of people these days don’t have time to go and look for themselves online, so it gives a nice summary of everything.”

Carolyn Shlen, co-owner of Shlens Apartments, said the Tenant Union has also been a good resource for landlords.

“They were helpful to resolve problems between students and landlords,” Shlen said. “I appreciate all the things that the Tenant Union makes available to the students in terms of leases.”

Patt added that the landlords have improved their relationships with students over time.

“The fact that there is a consumer watchdog for students does persuade a lot of landlords to behave better,” she said.