solved Alabama is one of the few states that has resisted

Alabama is one of the few states that has resisted requiring that landlords be held responsible for the condition of rental housing.  Even with the changes in Alabama’s landlord/tenant laws that became effective 1/1/07, Alabama still lags behind other states on the issue of renters’ rights.  Many would argue that tenants have the right to expect clean, safe, habitable housing.  Others take the position that the market should drive the suitability of housing, meaning that tenants will move from unsafe, substandard housing to better housing as better housing becomes available.  Odds are that you have been a tenant and that you will be a landlord at some point in time.  Should the State impose duties on landlords of rental residential property (property intended for human occupancy)?  If so, what should those duties be?  What rights should tenants have, if any?