Has The Time Come For A RENTER'S Bill of Rights?

We are acutely aware of the foreclosure statistics over the past couple of years and the number of homeowners being displaced, their erosion of wealth and the family turmoil created as a result of these events. To some extent, the plight of renters that are losing their home and money as landlords succumb to default/foreclosure!

Has The Time Come for A Renter's Bill of Rights to afford some degree of protection for Renters?

Consider some real situations that are happening every day as a Renter; Renter's are moving in and are faced with possibly the first and last months of rent in advance and quite possibly a damage deposit as well as the cost of moving or relocation. The owner/landlord knows that they are in default on their mortgage or that there is an impending default.

They rent and collect their tenant's monies with no intention of paying their mortgage. Is this "Theft by Deception? My thought is yes!!!! For they are withholding information that should be known to the renter and doing it for personal financial gain regardless of the impact on the tenant. Should there be punitive damages available to the tenant?

Should landlords be required by law to notify their tenants upon their personal default prior to renting to a tenant or at any such subsequent default after the tenant has occupied the home?

Should mortgage holders be required to mail a notification letter to the Owner or Occupant at the property address that is receiving a notice of default notice as generally the letter would only go to the mortgagor's address of record?

Should a tenant's rents be required to be placed in an independent Escrow Account until such a default is resolved or the foreclosure process has been completed?

What Say Ye?