To: The Arkansas State Senate

Tenants for Equal Accountability

Strict guidlines are needed so that Landlords handle their Responsibilities. Tenants for Equal Accountablility and Management.

Why is this important?

Three years ago my sister was laid to rest due to a house fire caused by faulty wiring in the house,that was the first child my mother had ever lost and the first sibling I had ever lost and it was a pain I had never felt before in my life. Before the fire occurred the problem had been reported to the landlord several times and after the damage had been done neighbors and old residents of the house reported they also had electrical problems and was ignored by the landlord and nothing was done. Since then my mother and I have had to deal with more slumlords who flat out does not care about anybodies well being or living conditions in properties they own,all that matters is a money order before the fifth. Hard working tenants who pay their rent on time while maintaining the property as best as they can have to continuosly call and wait for problems that they can't or aren't obligated to fix to get fixed when some have infant children and disabled elderly living at the properties. Under the current Arkansas Landlord and Tenant laws the landlords are getting away with robbery and the tenants have to either take it or move on. If a tenant holds money from the landlord until they fix a leak in the roof because the leak could cause electrical damage,the tenant can be placed under arrest or asked to leave the premises. Thats not equal,I'm sure none of you or them would like to spend your money to live in a place thats half inhabitable either but thats what hard working Arkansans are being forced to do and something has to be done about it. Without the people there wouldn't be any neighborhoods to place the alert centers who main goal is to "Stop the Drug Dealer" when in alot of neighbor hoods you don't see any drug dealers but you do see slumlords taking money from people who barely making it as is. Tenants for Equal Accountability main priority is to get the current landlord and tenant laws revised,instead of the current laws standing up for the crooks collecting money for doing nothing,we need laws standing up for the people who work hard and don't have to worry about spending two or three nights in the cold because they heat went out and the Landlord say "You Gotta Wait". We want to live comfortable in our homes just like the Landlords/Slumlords are living comfortable in their homes and In order for that to happen New Landlord Responsibilities have to be enforced.