(1) The Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act shall be liberally construed and applied to promote its underlying purposes and policies.

(2) Underlying purposes and policies of the act are:

(a) To simplify, clarify, modernize, and revise the law governing the rental of dwelling units and the rights and obligations of landlord and tenant;

(b) To encourage landlord and tenant to maintain and improve the quality of housing; and

(c) To make uniform the law among those states which enact it.