How is leasing various from home ownership? What are my as a tenant? 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 tenants during 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 formal problem? What if I live in government assisted housing? Does the USDA help with renters in backwoods? Where can I find out more about healthy housing policy? Additional resources

* * * Our Healthy Homes personnel are not physicians or attorneys. The details on our Healthy Homes Website does not supply medical or legal suggestions. This details is not a substitute for visiting your medical professional or for seeking advice from with an attorney about your particular scenario. * * *

3 Actions a Concerned Renter Should Do:

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

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

3. Read your lease. Whatever is composed in the lease is a legal agreement. Both tenant and landlord have responsibilities.

It is most likely unlawful for a landlord to strike back versus an occupant who submits a complaint, calls Buiding Codes, or takes legal action. Changing locks, turning off energies, showing up often, or inappropriately raising lease can be retaliation.

How is renting various from home ownership?

Renting is various from home ownership in that the tenant need to depend on somebody else to make repair work. The occupant might not have the ability to make changes to the home without approval. A renter has both rights and duties. Renting can be a great choice for many individuals to maintain a healthy home environment, both inside your home and outdoors. Whether you lease a house, house, duplex, mobile home or cabin you can keep the seven healthy homes concepts. Remember that excellent health starts in the house.

What are my duties as an occupant?

Renters are responsible for tidiness and security. You might rent with no formal arrangement, or you might have a lease agreement. The most typical kind of renter in Tennessee is a tenant who signs a lease agreement to pay lease monthly throughout the year. Renters may be asked to provide a security deposit. Lease contracts are legally binding contracts. You are accountable for following the regards to your lease. Some lease contracts have addendums such as pet policies, bug control agreements or for reporting water damage. You are accountable for: paying your lease on time, paying any late costs, keeping the place clean and safe, not letting anybody else damage it, not breaking the law, getting rid of your trash, and following your property manager's rules. If you break your lease, then it might end up being a legal problem.

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

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

There are 8 fundamental principles to maintaining a healthy home.

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

1. Keep it Clean. - Clean homes assist minimize bug invasions and exposure to contaminants.
2. Keep it Pest-Free. - Exposure to mice and cockroaches might increase asthma attacks. Improper pesticide treatments for pest problems can worsen health issues, since pesticide residues in homes can present health threats.
3. Keep it Safe. - The majority of children's injuries happen in the home. Falls are the most regular reason for domestic injuries to kids, followed by injuries from objects in the home, burns, and poisonings.
4. Keep it Contaminant-Free. - Avoid exposure to lead, radon, carbon monoxide, pesticides, asbestos and environmental tobacco smoke. Remember exposure is often higher indoors.
5. Keep it Ventilated. - Studies have actually revealed increasing fresh air in a home enhances breathing health.
6. Keep it Maintained. - Poorly-maintained homes are at threat of being unhealthy.
7. Keep it Thermally Controlled. - Houses that do not keep adequate temperatures may position the security of residents at increased risk from exposure to extreme heat or cold.
   
   If you utilize these principles as a guide, you can preserve a safe and healthy home. If you are having an issue preserving any of these principles, other parts of this website will know and resources to help you.
   
   What if I have an unhealthy condition in my rental home?
   
   If you have an unhealthy condition in your rental home, then it may be your responsibility to repair the issue or it may be your landlord's obligation to make repair work. Read your rental lease arrangement. Comply with any requirements for tidiness or security. Report any required repair work to the proprietor as they occur. Putting your issues in composing is best. This develops a record of your concerns. Repairs to your rental home need to be made in a reasonable amount of time. The amount of time might be noted in your lease.
   
   If your proprietor has not made repair work in a sensible quantity of time, you may need to interact more directly, such as with extra composed problems or a face-to-face meeting. If your property owner continues to neglect your issues, you might require to pursue legal action.
   
   Disputes between a landlord and an occupant are civil problems. Most landlord and renter concerns are outside of 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 occupants.
   
   What are my rights as a tenant?
   
   According to the Legal Aid Society, as a tenant you can a livable location and to live peacefully. Your rights as a renter may differ depending upon which county you reside in. The Legal Aid Society has a helpful truth sheet to help you understand your rights as an occupant. How to call the Legal Aid Society or the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services is listed below.
   
   If your rental home needs an emergency repair to keep it healthy, such as a repair of the heat, gas, lights, water, sewage, pipes or a/c, you ought to alert your property owner right now.
   
   If the requirement for repair work in not an emergency, then 2 week is generally considered as an affordable amount of time for the landlord to make repair work. Hopefully, most repair work will be made rather after a property owner is warned. Use your regular approach of reporting needs for repair work such as a site, telephone call, text message, or office visit. Put something into composing to record when you made the property manager familiar with the requirement for repair work.
   
   In some counties you can use some of your rent money to make these instant repair work. If the problem was your fault, you might need to assist pay for the repairs.
   
   You can not be displaced of your rental home. You can not be evicted without notification. The property manager can not change the locks or shut down your utilities to make you leave. Most of the time, a landlord requires to go to court before evicting you. If you did something unsafe or threatening, the landlord only needs to offer you three (3) days to vacate. If you did not pay lease or broke your lease agreement, you might be provided a thirty (30) day discover to move out. If you have legal concerns about housing, you need to seek advice from an attorney or legal services.
   
   The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Serices has a HELP4TN site, chatbot, and telephone to help people who need assist with their legal concerns. If you do not have your own lawyer, this is an excellent website to start.
   
   If you certify based upon earnings or assistance status, the Legal Aid Society may have the ability to help. Keep in mind, Legal Aid has a client waiting list and hardly ever will cases take place quickly. Contact the workplace near you to find out 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 created these reality sheets to assist you comprehend your rights and tasks as an occupant. Click the left image for counties of 75,000 or more population and the ideal image for smaller sized 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 residential or non-residential residential or commercial properties or both. Codes evaluations can occur at any time, though they are most common with new building and construction or restoration. Building Codes help to make sure security within a structure. It is very important to have buildings up to code. Landlords are accountable for meeting Codes.
   
   All urban areas in Tennessee have their own codes departments to implement Residential or commercial property Maintenance Codes. Many big county or local government have codes departments. Though, many towns and rural areas do not have any standardized minimum residential or commercial property upkeep codes. Several codes departments throughout the state have actually 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 regional codes department for info specific to your place.
   
   Often Building Codes will ask if an occupant has actually already notified their property owner about the need for repair work and offered the proprietor reasonable time to make the repair. Afterward, Buiding Codes might perform an assessment. If there is an examination, be sure to request 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 allow their visit.
   
   What is URLTA?
   
   Tennessee Code Annotated § 66-28 is the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. URLTA just uses in counties of higher than 75,000 population as of the 2010 U.S. Census. For these more inhabited counties, there are written requirements and protections to rental contracts consisting of responsibilities for upkeep by the property manager to comply with requirements of appropriate structure 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 accountable for promoting guidelines for minimum health standards for rental housing. These rules belong to Tennessee Code Annotated § 53-5502 restructured as § 68-111 in Chapter 1200-1-2. The guidelines cover fundamental devices and facilities, light and ventilation, temperature level, and sanitation.
   
   Can I make an official grievance?
   
   If a rental residential or commercial property breaks minimum health requirements it might be unfit for habitation. According to Tennessee Code Annotated § 68-111-101, tenants whose rent is $200 or less weekly may file a grievance with their regional building inspector or county public health department. Complaints require to be filed in writing with your county health department and a copy should be forwarded by certified mail to the landlord. A certifying grievance can result in a home examination. This part of the law does not apply to occupants who pay their lease month-to-month or for a term greater than regular monthly. For non-qualifying complaints, other building regulations or regulations that the structure inspector is licensed to enforce, might apply to house rented at higher rates.
   
   What if I live in federal government assisted housing?
   
   The federal government helps low-income households, the senior, and the disabled to manage decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the personal market. Participants find their own housing, including single-family homes, townhouses, and houses. There is a yearly Housing Quality Standards (HQS) assessment procedure to guarantee that homes are tidy and safe. Renters with assisted housing, such as Section 8, ought to start by talking with the workplace that provided their rental Housing Choice Voucher (HCV).
   
   The Tennessee Housing Development Agency performs contract administration for Section 8 domestic concerns in 76 counties. If the residential or commercial property owner or representative is not fulfilling their responsibilities, TDHA may intervene. For more information, call THDA at 1-800-228-THDA (8432) during normal organization hours or visit the THDA webpage anytime. Local public housing companies (PHAs) provide 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.
   
   Renters who receive support can call their regional 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 requirements, then HUD may intervene to have the property owner make repairs as necessary. 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 tenants in rural locations?
   
   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 concern about residing in USDA-assisted rural housing you can contact your rural development regional office.
   
   Where can I learn more about healthy housing policy?
   
   Our Healthy Places website supplies more information about the places we live, work and play. Click here to read more about healthy housing policies.