The death of Tufts University student Wendy Carman has led many Boston students to consider their own off-campus housing decisions more carefully. While nothing can reverse Carman’s death, students, landlords and officials need to work together to ensure students are living safely and prevent more tragedies like the Jan. 18 fire in Carman’s makeshift loft apartment.

While students have the most opportunity and most incentive to ensure the quality of their housing, landlords act reprehensibly if they prey on students’ ignorance of their legal tenant rights. Landlords need to show the same level of concern they would for any other tenants and inspect their properties and bring them up to code for fire and crime prevention. Saving a few dollars cannot be worth the possible guilt of potentially allowing a preventable death.

While breaking and entering is on the rise in Allston-Brighton, and Boston officials have criticized substandard student housing areas, officials cannot completely solve these problems and must face difficult budgetary situations. While police should patrol as much as possible and city inspectors should attempt to enforce building codes whenever possible, students must realize that officials cannot possibly watch and inspect every apartment.

Boston University continues to merit praise for guaranteeing housing to its students for all four years. When deciding to forgo this opportunity, students should consider that off-campus housing is likely to be less safe than dorms, and must weigh this probability against their desires for increased independence and freedom.

Everyone would have safe, quality housing if city officials and landlords personally checked every building and brought it up to code. However, in reality, doing this is not in their financial interests and simply not possible. Students must realize this and take responsibility for their own housing.

First, students need to inform themselves about issues like tenants’ rights and fire and crime prevention. A starting place is BU’s Off-Campus Housing website, which provides basic information and phone numbers for students to get more information or address their specific concerns.

Also, students should evaluate their living conditions. If locks are broken, exits are blocked or anything is particularly shoddy, students must contact their landlords and ensure their complaints are resolved as soon as possible. Students also need to brush up on basic fire safety.

College lifestyles are notoriously unsafe, and students need to realize that fewer rules also bring more responsibility. Massive partying and wallowing in filth simply is not healthy, and students must realize that minor actions can have serious consequences. Not knowing where a fire extinguisher is, blocking the back door with boxes or being careless with smoking materials are all examples of dangerous behaviors that students cannot blame on anyone else. By examining their own buildings and lifestyles, students can make the most impact toward improving their own living conditions and preventing tragedies like the death of Wendy Carman.