How is leasing various from home ownership? What are my responsibilities as a renter? What can I do to keep my rental home a healthy home? What if I have an unhealthy condition in my rental home? What are my rights as a tenant? Fact sheets for renters and occupants during COVID-19 What about Residential Or Commercial Property Maintenance Codes? What is URLTA? What are the minimum requirements for rental housing? Can I make a formal problem? What if I reside in federal government assisted housing? Does the USDA help with occupants in backwoods? Where can I discover more about healthy housing policy? Additional resources

* * * Our Healthy Homes personnel are not medical professionals or attorneys. The information on our Healthy Homes Website does not provide medical or legal suggestions. This info is not an alternative to visiting your medical professional or for seeking advice from with an attorney about your specific situation. * * *

3 Actions a Worried Renter Should Do:

1. Put whatever in composing. Take photos and videos. Save emails, texts, letters, and voicemails. Write a calendar of occasions.

2. Do not stop paying rent. It would likely protest the lease or the law. Keep your lease invoices as proof you paid.

3. Read your lease. Whatever is composed in the lease is a legal agreement. Both tenant and property owner have obligations.

It is likely illegal for a property owner to retaliate versus a tenant who submits a problem, calls Buiding Codes, or takes legal action. Changing locks, shutting down utilities, appearing typically, or wrongly raising rent can be retaliation.

How is renting different from home ownership?

Renting is various from own a home because the tenant should count on another person to make repairs. The tenant may not have the ability to make modifications to the home without permission. A tenant has both rights and responsibilities. Renting can be an excellent option for lots of people to maintain a healthy home environment, both inside and outdoors. Whether you rent a house, apartment, duplex, mobile home or cabin you can keep the seven healthy homes concepts. Bear in mind that health begins in your home.

What are my obligations as a renter?

Renters are accountable for cleanliness and security. You might rent without any formal contract, or you might have a lease contract. The most common kind of occupant in Tennessee is a tenant who signs a lease agreement to pay lease monthly throughout the year. Renters may be asked to provide a down payment. Lease contracts are lawfully binding contracts. You are accountable for following the terms of your lease. Some lease arrangements have addendums such as pet policies, pest control contracts or for reporting water damage. You are responsible for: paying your lease on time, paying any late fees, keeping the location clean and safe, not letting anybody else damage it, not breaking the law, disposing of your trash, and following your property owner's guidelines. If you break your lease, then it may end up being a legal issue.

The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance shared Tips for First-Time Renters along with Tips on How to Spot Rental and Moving Scammers.

What can I do to keep my rental home a healthy home?

There are eight standard principles to preserving a healthy home.

1. Keep it Dry. - Damp homes offer an excellent environment for mites, roaches, rodents and molds.

1. Keep it Clean. - Clean homes assist lower pest problems and direct exposure to impurities.
2. Keep it Pest-Free. - Exposure to mice and cockroaches might increase asthma attacks. Improper pesticide treatments for pest invasions can worsen illness, considering that pesticide residues in homes can present health risks.
3. Keep it Safe. - Most of children's injuries happen in the home. Falls are the most frequent reason for property injuries to kids, followed by injuries from items in the home, burns, and poisonings.
4. Keep it Contaminant-Free. - Avoid direct exposure to lead, radon, carbon monoxide gas, pesticides, asbestos and ecological tobacco smoke. Bear in mind exposure is frequently higher inside.
5. Keep it Ventilated. - Studies have actually revealed increasing fresh air in a home improves breathing health.
6. Keep it Maintained. - Poorly-maintained homes are at danger of being unhealthy.
7. Keep it Thermally Controlled. - Houses that do not maintain sufficient temperature levels might put the safety of locals at increased risk from exposure to extreme heat or cold.
   
   If you use these concepts as a guide, you can preserve a safe and healthy home. If you are having an issue keeping any of these principles, other parts of this site will know and resources to assist you.
   
   What if I have an unhealthy condition in my rental home?
   
   If you have an unhealthy condition in your rental home, then it might be your responsibility to repair the issue or it may be your proprietor's obligation to make repair work. Read your rental lease contract. Adhere to any requirements for tidiness or security. Report any required repairs to the proprietor as they occur. Putting your concerns in writing is best. This produces a record of your concerns. Repairs to your rental home need to be made in a reasonable amount of time. The quantity of time might be listed in your lease.
   
   If your property owner has actually not made repair work in a reasonable amount of time, you might need to communicate more directly, such as with additional written grievances or an in person meeting. If your property owner continues to overlook your concerns, you may need to pursue legal action.
   
   Disputes between a property owner and an occupant are civil problems. Most property manager and tenant issues are beyond the authority of the Health Department. These issues would be ruled on by a civil court judge interpreting the law. There are some programs that support tenants.
   
   What are my rights as a tenant?
   
   According to the Legal Aid Society, as a tenant you can a habitable place and to live in harmony. Your rights as a tenant may differ depending on which county you reside in. The Legal Aid Society has a beneficial truth sheet to assist you comprehend your rights as a renter. How to call the Legal Aid Society or the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services is noted below.
   
   If your rental home requires an emergency repair work to keep it healthy, such as a repair work of the heat, gas, lights, water, sewage, plumbing or air conditioning, you should notify your proprietor immediately.
   
   If the requirement for repair work in not an emergency situation, then 2 week is usually considered as a reasonable amount of time for the property owner to make repairs. Hopefully, many repair work will be made much sooner after a property manager is warned. Use your regular technique of reporting needs for repair such as a site, phone call, text, or office see. Put something into writing to document when you made the landlord mindful of the requirement for repair.
   
   In some counties you can use some of your rent money to make these instant repairs. If the problem was your fault, you might have to help spend for the repair work.
   
   You can not be dislodged of your rental home. You can not be evicted without notification. The landlord can not change the locks or shut off your energies to make you leave. Most of the time, a property owner needs to go to court before evicting you. If you did something hazardous or threatening, the proprietor only needs to offer you three (3) days to move out. If you did not pay lease or broke your lease arrangement, you may be given a thirty (30) day notice to move out. If you have legal concerns about housing, you must seek advice from an attorney or legal services.
   
   The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Serices has a HELP4TN website, chatbot, and telephone to assist people who need aid with their legal concerns. If you do not have your own attorney, this is an excellent website to begin.
   
   If you qualify based upon earnings or assistance status, the Legal Aid Society might have the ability to assist. Remember, Legal Aid has a client waiting list and seldom will cases occur quickly. Contact the workplace near you to learn more.
   
   Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands - 1-800-238-1443 Offices in Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Gallatin, Murfreesboro, Nashville, Oak Ridge, and Tullahoma
   
   Legal Aid Society of East Tennessee - 1-865-637-0484 Offices in Knoxville, Johnson City, Chattanooga, and Cleveland
   
   West Tennessee Legal Services - 1-800-372-8346 Offices in Jackson, Dyersburg, Huntingdon, and Selmer
   
   Memphis Area Legal Services - 1-888-207-6386 Offices in Memphis and Covington
   
   The Legal Aid Society produced these fact sheets to help you understand your rights and duties as a renter. Click the left image for counties of 75,000 or more population and the ideal image for smaller counties.
   
   Anderson, Blount, Bradley, Davidson, Hamilton, Knox, Madison, Maury, Montgomery, Rutherford, Sevier, Shelby, Sullivan, Sumner, Washington, Williamson, or Wilson
   
   Bedford, Benton, Bledsoe, Campbell, Cannon, Carroll, Carter, Cheatham, Chester, Claiborne, Clay, Cocke, Coffee, Crockett, Cumberland, Decatur, DeKalb, Dickson, Dyer, Fayette, Fentress, Franklin, Gibson, Giles, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamblen, Hancock, Hardeman, Hardin, Hawkins, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Lake, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Loudon, McMinn, McNairy, Macon, Marion, Marshall, Meigs, Monroe, Moore, Morgan, Obion, Overton, Perry, Pickett, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Robertson, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Smith, Stewart, Tipton, Trousdale, Unicoi, Union, Van Buren, Warren, Wayne, Weakley, or White
   
   What about Residential Or Commercial Property Maintenance Codes?
   
   Residential Or Commercial Property Maintenance Codes or Building and Safety Codes are minimum residential or commercial property upkeep requirements. Codes can apply to property or non-residential residential or commercial properties or both. Codes examinations can occur at any time, though they are most common with new construction or renovation. Building regulations help to make sure security within a building. It is necessary to have structures up to code. Landlords are accountable for satisfying Codes.
   
   All metropolitan areas in Tennessee have their own codes departments to impose Residential or commercial property Maintenance Codes. Many big county or local government have codes departments. Though, lots of small towns and backwoods do not have any standardized minimum residential or commercial property maintenance codes. Several codes departments throughout the state have actually adopted the International Residential or commercial property Maintenance Code. Codes inspectors may inspect electrical, plumbing, gas, zoning, and other physical elements of a home. Contact your local codes department for info particular to your area.
   
   Often Building Codes will ask if a tenant has actually currently informed their property manager about the need for repair work and offered the landlord reasonable time to make the repair work. Afterward, Buiding Codes might perform an assessment. If there is an evaluation, make certain to request a copy of any notes or citations. Keep in mind that Building Codes can just visit homes where the renter has legal right to permit their check out.
   
   What is URLTA?
   
   Tennessee Code Annotated § 66-28 is the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. URLTA only uses in counties of greater than 75,000 population as of the 2010 U.S. Census. For these more populated counties, there are written requirements and defenses to rental agreements including commitments for maintenance by the property owner to abide by requirements of appropriate building and housing codes materially affecting healthy and security, as noted in 66-28-304.( a).
   
   What are the minimum standards for rental housing?
   
   The Tennessee Department of Health is accountable for promulgating guidelines for minimum health standards for rental housing. These guidelines are part of Tennessee Code Annotated § 53-5502 rearranged as § 68-111 in Chapter 1200-1-2. The rules cover standard devices and centers, light and ventilation, temperature, and sanitation.
   
   Can I make a protest?
   
   If a rental residential or commercial property violates minimum health requirements it might be unfit for habitation. According to Tennessee Code Annotated § 68-111-101, occupants whose rent is $200 or less per week might file a complaint with their local structure inspector or county public health department. Complaints need to be filed in writing with your county health department and a copy must be forwarded by licensed mail to the landlord. A qualifying problem can lead to a home investigation. This part of the law does not apply to occupants who pay their rent regular monthly or for a term greater than month-to-month. For non-qualifying problems, other building codes or ordinances that the structure inspector is authorized to impose, might apply to residential property rented at greater rates.
   
   What if I live in government assisted housing?
   
   The federal government helps low-income families, the senior, and the handicapped to pay for good, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Participants discover their own housing, including single-family homes, townhouses, and homes. There is a yearly Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection procedure to make sure that homes are clean and safe. Renters with assisted housing, such as Section 8, must begin by talking with the workplace that provided their rental Housing Choice Voucher (HCV).
   
   The Tennessee Housing Development Agency performs agreement administration for Section 8 property issues in 76 counties. If the residential or commercial property owner or agent is not fulfilling their responsibilities, TDHA may intervene. For additional information, call THDA at 1-800-228-THDA (8432) throughout normal organization hours or go to the THDA website anytime. Local public firms (PHAs) supply services in the other counties. Some of the regional offices are the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, Murfreesboro Housing Authority, Memphis Housing Authority, and Knox County Housing Authority.
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   Renters who get help can contact their local U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development office. Much of HUD's programs have particular requirements for housing quality. If your housing is not up to standards, then HUD might step in to have the property owner make repairs as essential. Tennessee's HUD office contact numbers are:
   
   HUD Knoxville Field Office - (865) 545-4370 Jurisdiction: Anderson, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Cumberland, Fentress, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Marion, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Pickett, Polk, Roane, Rhea, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, Washington
   
   HUD Memphis Field Office - (901) 544-3367 Jurisdiction: Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Lake, Lauderdale, Madison, McNairy, Obion, Shelby, Tipton, Weakley
   
   HUD Nashville Field Office - (615) 736-5600 Jurisdiction: Bedford, Cannon, Cheatham, Clay, Coffee, Davidson, De Kalb, Dickson, Franklin, Giles, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Jackson, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Macon, Marshall, Maury, Montgomery, Moore, Overton, Perry, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale, Van Buren, Warren, Wayne, White, Williamson, Wilson
   
   Does the USDA assist with occupants in backwoods?
   
   Yes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a rural development program. USDA helps with some 360 multi-family residential or commercial properties in Tennessee. If you have a question about living in USDA-assisted rural housing you can contact your rural development regional office.
   
   Where can I discover more about healthy housing policy?
   
   Our Healthy Places website offers more info about the locations we live, work and play. Click on this link to find out more about healthy housing policies.