How is leasing different 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 an occupant? Fact sheets for occupants and tenants throughout COVID-19 What about Residential Or Commercial Property Maintenance Codes? What is URLTA? What are the minimum standards for rental housing? Can I make a protest? What if I reside in federal government assisted housing? Does the USDA help with renters in rural locations? Where can I find out more about healthy housing policy? Additional resources

* * * Our Healthy Homes staff are not doctors or attorneys. The information on our Healthy Homes Website does not offer medical or legal recommendations. This details is not an alternative to visiting your physician or for speaking with an attorney about your specific scenario. * * *

3 Actions a Worried Renter Should Do:

1. Put whatever in composing. Take photographs and videos. Save e-mails, texts, letters, and voicemails. Write a calendar of events.

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

3. Read your lease. Whatever is written in the lease is a legal contract. Both tenant and property manager have responsibilities.

It is likely unlawful for a landlord to retaliate against a renter who files a grievance, calls Buiding Codes, or takes legal action. Changing locks, shutting off utilities, appearing typically, or wrongly raising rent can be retaliation.

How is leasing various from home ownership?

Renting is various from home ownership because the tenant should count on somebody else to make repairs. The occupant might not have the ability to make changes to the home without authorization. A renter has both rights and responsibilities. Renting can be a great alternative for many individuals to maintain a healthy home environment, both inside and outdoors. Whether you rent a house, house, duplex, mobile home or cabin you can keep the 7 healthy homes principles. Bear in mind that health starts at home.

What are my obligations as an occupant?

Renters are accountable for tidiness and safety. You might lease without any official arrangement, or you might have a lease agreement. The most common type of occupant in Tennessee is a tenant who signs a lease agreement to pay rent monthly throughout the year. Renters might be asked to supply a down payment. Lease arrangements are lawfully binding contracts. You are accountable for following the regards to your lease. Some lease arrangements have addendums such as pet policies, pest control agreements or for reporting water damage. You are accountable for: paying your rent on time, paying any late charges, keeping the location clean and safe, not letting anyone else damage it, not breaking the law, dealing with your trash, and following your proprietor's rules. If you break your lease, then it might end up being a legal issue.

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

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

There are eight fundamental concepts to keeping a healthy home.

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

1. Keep it Clean. - Clean homes help in reducing insect invasions and direct exposure to pollutants.
2. Keep it Pest-Free. - Exposure to mice and cockroaches might increase asthma attacks. Improper pesticide treatments for pest problems can get worse illness, considering that pesticide residues in homes can present health dangers.
3. Keep it Safe. - Most of children's injuries occur in the home. Falls are the most regular cause of property injuries to children, followed by injuries from things in the home, burns, and poisonings.
4. Keep it Contaminant-Free. - Avoid exposure to lead, radon, carbon monoxide gas, pesticides, asbestos and environmental tobacco smoke. Bear in mind direct exposure is typically higher inside your home.
5. Keep it Ventilated. - Studies have revealed increasing fresh air in a home enhances breathing health.
6. Keep it Maintained. - Poorly-maintained homes are at risk of being unhealthy.
7. Keep it Thermally Controlled. - Houses that do not maintain appropriate temperature levels might place the security of locals at increased risk from exposure to extreme heat or cold.
   
   If you use these principles as a guide, you can maintain a safe and healthy home. If you are having an issue maintaining any of these concepts, other parts of this site will have details 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 obligation to fix the problem or it might be your landlord's obligation to make repair work. Read your rental lease agreement. Abide by any requirements for cleanliness or security. Report any needed repair work to the landlord as they emerge. Putting your concerns in writing is best. This develops a record of your issues. Repairs to your rental home need to be made in a sensible quantity of time. The amount of time might be listed in your lease.
   
   If your property owner has actually not made repairs in an affordable quantity of time, you may require to communicate more directly, such as with additional written complaints or an in person meeting. If your property owner continues to overlook your concerns, you might require to pursue legal action.
   
   Disputes in between a property owner and a tenant are civil issues. Most proprietor and renter concerns are beyond the authority of the Health Department. These concerns would be ruled on by a civil court judge interpreting the law. There are some programs that support renters.
   
   What are my rights as an occupant?
   
   According to the Legal Aid Society, as a renter you deserve to a habitable place and to live peacefully. Your rights as a tenant might differ depending on which county you reside in. The Legal Aid Society has a beneficial fact sheet to help you understand your rights as an occupant. How to get in touch with the Legal Aid Society or the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services is noted below.
   
   If your rental home requires an emergency repair to keep it healthy, such as a repair work of the heat, gas, lights, water, sewage, pipes or a/c, you need to alert your landlord right now.
   
   If the need for repair work in not an emergency situation, then 14 days is usually considered as a reasonable quantity of time for the property manager to make repairs. Hopefully, most repairs will be made much quicker after a landlord is warned. Use your routine approach of reporting needs for repair such as a website, call, text message, or workplace go to. Put something into composing to record when you made the proprietor familiar with the need for repair.
   
   In some counties you can utilize a few of your rent cash to make these immediate repairs. If the issue was your fault, you might have to assist spend for the repair work.
   
   You can not be forced out of your rental home. You can not be kicked out without notification. The property owner can not alter the locks or shut off your utilities to make you leave. Most of the time, a proprietor needs to go to court before evicting you. If you did something harmful or threatening, the landlord just requires to give you 3 (3) days to move out. If you did not pay lease or broke your lease agreement, you might be provided a thirty (30) day see to vacate. If you have legal questions about housing, you should seek advice from a lawyer or legal services.
   
   The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Serices has a HELP4TN website, chatbot, and telephone to help people who require aid with their legal concerns. If you do not have your own legal representative, this is a good website to start.
   
   If you qualify based upon income or assistance status, the Legal Aid Society might be able to help. Remember, Legal Aid has a client waiting list and seldom will cases happen fast. Contact the office near you for more details.
   
   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 assist you understand your rights and responsibilities as a renter. Click the left image for counties of 75,000 or more population and the best 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 maintenance requirements. Codes can use to property or non-residential residential or commercial properties or both. Codes inspections can happen at any time, though they are most common with new building and construction or renovation. Building regulations assist to ensure security within a structure. It is essential to have structures up to code. Landlords are responsible for satisfying Codes.
   
   All metropolitan areas in Tennessee have their own codes departments to implement Residential or commercial property Maintenance Codes. Many big county or city federal governments have codes departments. Though, lots of small towns and rural areas do not have any standardized minimum residential or commercial property upkeep codes. Several codes departments throughout the state have embraced the International Residential or commercial property Maintenance Code. Codes inspectors might examine electrical, pipes, gas, zoning, and other physical elements of a home. Contact your local codes department for details particular to your location.
   
   Often Building Codes will ask if an occupant has already notified their property manager about the need for repair and offered the proprietor affordable time to make the repair work. Afterward, Buiding Codes might carry out an inspection. If there is an evaluation, make certain to ask for a copy of any notes or citations. Keep in mind that Building regulations can only go to homes where the occupant has legal right to permit their visit.
   
   What is URLTA?
   
   Tennessee Code Annotated § 66-28 is the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. URLTA just applies in counties of higher than 75,000 population as of the 2010 U.S. Census. For these more populated counties, there are written requirements and protections to rental agreements consisting of obligations for upkeep by the property owner to abide by requirements of suitable building and housing codes materially affecting healthy and safety, as listed in 66-28-304.( a).
   
   What are the minimum standards for rental housing?
   
   The Tennessee Department of Health is responsible for promoting guidelines for minimum health requirements for rental housing. These guidelines become 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 level, 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 lease is $200 or less weekly may submit a complaint with their regional building inspector or county public health department. Complaints require to be filed in composing with your county health department and a copy need to be forwarded by licensed mail to the property owner. A certifying problem can lead to a home investigation. This part of the law does not use to tenants who pay their rent monthly or for a term higher than monthly. For non-qualifying problems, other building regulations or ordinances that the structure inspector is authorized to impose, may apply to home leased at higher rates.
   
   What if I reside in government assisted housing?
   
   The federal government assists low-income households, the elderly, and the handicapped to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Participants discover their own housing, consisting of single-family homes, townhouses, and houses. There is an annual Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection procedure to make sure that homes are clean and safe. with assisted housing, such as Section 8, should begin by talking with the workplace that issued their rental Housing Choice Voucher (HCV).
   
   The Tennessee Housing Development Agency carries out agreement administration for Section 8 domestic concerns in 76 counties. If the residential or commercial property owner or representative is not fulfilling their duties, TDHA might step in. To find out more, call THDA at 1-800-228-THDA (8432) throughout regular company hours or check out the THDA webpage anytime. Local public housing firms (PHAs) offer services in the other counties. Some of the regional workplaces are the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, Murfreesboro Housing Authority, Memphis Housing Authority, and Knox County Housing Authority.
   
   Renters who receive support can contact their regional U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development office. A lot 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 required. Tennessee's HUD workplace 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 help with renters in backwoods?
   
   Yes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a rural advancement program. USDA assists with some 360 multi-family residential or commercial properties in Tennessee. If you have a concern about living in USDA-assisted rural housing you can contact your rural advancement regional workplace.
   
   Where can I learn more about healthy housing policy?
   
   Our Healthy Places website supplies more info about the locations we live, work and play. Click here to learn more about healthy housing policies.