As we enter the season of holiday cheer and giving, The Pacer is receiving complaints about situations that are not cheerful.

Specifically, complaints have been written about problems in terms of rental housing. I won’t name any names listed in the complaints; to do so would be highly illegal and unethical. However, any housing situation requires landlords and students to live up to certain responsibilities, and both parties must do so for any problem to be resolved.

My best advice is simple: Keep a paper trail of everything. That includes your lease, any other papers given to you by your landlord, receipts of bills paid, notes of calls made about mechanical or other problems with the property, etc. Without the paper trail, you have no way of proving what you say is true and the rental company may or may not deal with you in a way that you deem fair.

Secondly, know who actually owns the business. If someone is rude to you on the phone, make a note of it. Record your calls. Work up the company ladder until you get to the top if you must. If the problem is serious, make sure you’ve consulted a real estate attorney and know what your rights are under Tennessee law.

Third, get renter’s insurance. Your possessions are your responsibility, and this type of insurance is not expensive. Don’t do it for your landlord; do it for yourself. Keep an inventory of what you own and keep track of your stuff, just as you would in a dorm room or in a house of your own.

Fourth, call the Better Business Bureau if your complaints locally fall on deaf ears. It’s not difficult to file a complaint, and the BBB Web site is a good place to go to anyway if you want to check out any business before you rent or buy from that business.

The BBB office that serves West Tennessee is in Memphis. The phone number is 731-759-1300 and the Web address is www.midsouth.bbb.org.

Finally, keep your place reasonably clean, learn the fine art of compromise and just use common sense and courtesy. If your official complaints get you nowhere, let “word of mouth“ get you somewhere. In a town this size, that’s often the most effective way of getting heard.