We don’t know where Zuzu Bailey went to school, but if a renter’s life in Madison has taught us anything, it’s that every time a landlord cries foul, an angel gets its wings. Or at least several high-fives. And if Ald. Bridget Maniaci’s, District 2 proposal to push back new lease showings until mid-February continues its momentum, The Big Guy should expect some sore-handed cherubs.

The proposal, which would force landlords to wait until a tenant’s lease reaches half completion before they begin showing the property to overanxious, fear-paralyzed underclassmen, has been met with a considerable amount of criticism from the ownership community. Currently, properties can be shown once one-fourth of the lease has been fulfilled, and according to several owners, the dead period caused by a shift backward — from November to February — would not only spur job losses, but also create chaos for the student population.

But it’s difficult to imagine a set-up more chaotic than the one that exists now. Like athletes to an online history course, students flock to pricey apartment buildings and run-down homes as soon as open leasing season starts. The fear, they assume, is if they don’t act within the first week of showings, every half-decent dwelling in South Central Wisconsin will be gone. Much of this hysteria is propagated by the renting companies themselves, who have an obvious vested interest in pushing students who’ve been on campus for two months into a decision with five strangers they probably won’t like in three months anyway.

For students, pushing back the lease showing date is both intelligent and uncontroversial. But even more, it’s really no great detriment to the landlords, either. They argue that by pushing the showing dates back it will condense the frenzy once reserved for mid-November, but if students have more time to plan out a decision, they may not feel the need to flail aimlessly against every three-bedroom apartment in town. Heck, even if showings do increase for a few weeks in February, it’s a price worth paying. After all, it forces you to keep your place clean. And it provides the perfect opportunity to put your “condom jar” joke into action.

If pushing the initial lease signing date back does indeed force companies to lay off employees, that’s certainly regrettable. But if a three-month dormant period essentially renders half the workforce useless, maybe they’re not effectively utilizing their resources. Those deposit checks are supposed to be used to replace cracked windows and carpet burns, not to pay a clerk’s salary.

This is not a difficult issue. Tenant rights are pretty scarce, and anything that eases the bull rush into lease signings should be met with enthusiasm. Unless you’re Steve Brown. But until he fixes our freakin’ dishwasher, it’s hard to care.