How is renting various from home ownership?
What are my responsibilities 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 an occupant?
Fact sheets for renters and renters 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 an official complaint?
What if I live in government assisted housing?
Does the USDA assist with tenants in backwoods?
Where can I find out more about healthy housing policy?
Additional resources

* * * Our Healthy Homes staff are not doctors or legal representatives. The details on our Healthy Homes Website does not offer medical or legal recommendations. This details is not a replacement for visiting your physician or for talking to an attorney about your particular circumstance. * * *

3 Actions a Worried Renter Should Do:

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

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

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

It is most likely prohibited for a property owner to strike back against a tenant who files a problem, calls Buiding Codes, or takes legal action. Changing locks, shutting down energies, appearing typically, or inappropriately raising rent can be retaliation.

How is leasing different from home ownership?

Renting is various from own a home in that the renter should depend on another person to make repairs. The renter might not be able to make changes to the home without approval. An occupant has both rights and responsibilities. Renting can be a good option for numerous individuals to preserve a healthy home environment, both inside and outdoors. Whether you lease a home, home, duplex, mobile home or cabin you can keep the seven healthy homes principles. Keep in mind that health begins in the house.

What are my obligations as a tenant?

Renters are accountable for cleanliness and safety. You may rent with no official contract, or you might have a lease agreement. The most typical kind of tenant in Tennessee is a renter who signs a lease arrangement to pay rent every month throughout the year. Renters may be asked to offer a down payment. Lease agreements are lawfully binding agreements. 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 rent on time, paying any late charges, keeping the place clean and safe, not letting anyone else damage it, not breaking the law, dealing with your trash, and following your proprietor's guidelines. If you break your lease, then it might become a legal concern.

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 eight standard concepts to maintaining a healthy home.

1. Keep it Dry. - Damp homes supply a great environment for mites, roaches, rodents and molds.
2. Keep it Clean. - Clean homes assist decrease insect invasions and exposure to impurities.
3. Keep it Pest-Free. - Exposure to mice and cockroaches might increase asthma attacks. Improper pesticide treatments for insect infestations can intensify illness, considering that pesticide residues in homes can posture health threats.
4. Keep it Safe. - Most of kids's injuries happen in the home. Falls are the most regular reason for residential injuries to children, followed by injuries from things in the home, burns, and poisonings.
5. Keep it Contaminant-Free. - Avoid direct exposure to lead, radon, carbon monoxide gas, pesticides, asbestos and ecological tobacco smoke. Keep in mind direct exposure is frequently greater inside your home.
6. Keep it Ventilated. - Studies have revealed increasing fresh air in a home improves respiratory health.
7. Keep it Maintained. - Poorly-maintained homes are at danger of being unhealthy.
8. Keep it Thermally Controlled. - Houses that do not preserve sufficient temperatures may position the safety of residents at increased threat from direct exposure to extreme heat or cold.

If you use these concepts as a guide, you can keep a safe and healthy home. If you are having a problem preserving any of these principles, other parts of this website will have info 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 fix the problem or it may be your landlord's responsibility to make repairs. Read your rental lease arrangement. Comply with any requirements for tidiness or safety. Report any required repair work to the landlord as they occur. Putting your concerns in writing is best. This develops a record of your issues. Repairs to your rental home should be made in an affordable amount of time. The quantity of time might be listed in your lease.

If your proprietor has actually not made repair work in a reasonable quantity of time, you might need to interact more directly, such as with extra composed complaints or a face-to-face meeting. If your landlord continues to overlook your issues, you may need to pursue legal action.

Disputes between a property owner and an occupant are civil problems. Most landlord and tenant 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 renters.

What are my rights as a renter?

According to the Legal Aid Society, as a tenant you can a livable place and to live quietly. Your rights as a tenant might vary depending on which county you live in. The Legal Aid Society has a beneficial reality sheet to assist 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 situation repair work to keep it healthy, such as a repair work of the heat, gas, lights, water, sewage, plumbing or a/c, you should signal your proprietor right now.

If the requirement for repair in not an emergency situation, then 14 days is usually considered as an affordable amount of time for the proprietor to make repairs. Hopefully, a lot of repair work will be made rather after a property manager is warned. Use your routine method of reporting needs for repair work such as a website, call, text, or workplace check out. Put something into composing to document when you made the landlord conscious of the need for repair.

In some counties you can use some of your lease cash to make these immediate repairs. If the issue was your fault, you may have to help pay for the repairs.

You can not be dislodged of your rental home. You can not be evicted without notice. The property manager can not alter the locks or shut off your utilities to make you leave. The majority of the time, a property owner requires to go to court before evicting you. If you did something unsafe or threatening, the landlord just needs to provide you three (3) days to vacate. If you did not pay rent or broke your lease contract, you may be offered a thirty (30) day observe to move out. If you have legal questions about housing, you need to seek advice from a lawyer or legal services.

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Serices has a HELP4TN website, chatbot, and telephone to assist individuals who require assist with their legal issues. If you do not have your own attorney, this is a great website to begin.

If you qualify based upon income or help status, the Legal Aid Society may be able to help. Remember, Legal Aid has a client waiting list and seldom will cases occur quickly. Contact the office 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 created these truth sheets to help you comprehend your rights and duties as a tenant. 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 upkeep standards. Codes can use to residential or non-residential residential or commercial properties or both. Codes examinations can happen at any time, though they are most common with brand-new building or remodelling. Building Codes help to make sure safety within a structure. It is essential to have structures up to code. Landlords are responsible for satisfying Codes.

All cities in Tennessee have their own codes departments to implement Residential or commercial property Maintenance Codes. Many large county or local government have codes departments. Though, numerous little towns and backwoods do not have any standardized minimum residential or commercial property maintenance codes. Several codes departments across the state have actually adopted the International Residential or commercial property Maintenance Code. Codes inspectors may check electrical, pipes, gas, zoning, and other physical elements of a home. Contact your regional codes department for information specific to your area.

Often Building Codes will ask if an occupant has actually currently notified their property owner about the requirement for repair and given the landlord affordable time to make the repair work. Afterward, Buiding Codes might perform an evaluation. If there is an assessment, be sure to ask for a copy of any notes or citations. Keep in mind that Building regulations can just check out homes where the tenant has legal right to permit their see.

What is URLTA?

Tennessee Code Annotated § 66-28 is the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. URLTA just applies in counties of greater than 75,000 population since the 2010 U.S. Census. For these more inhabited counties, there are written requirements and securities to rental agreements consisting of responsibilities for maintenance by the proprietor to comply with requirements of applicable structure and housing codes materially impacting healthy and safety, as listed in 66-28-304.( a).

What are the minimum requirements for rental housing?

The Tennessee Department of Health is accountable for promulgating rules for minimum health standards for rental housing. These rules are part of Tennessee Code Annotated § 53-5502 rearranged as § 68-111 in Chapter 1200-1-2. The rules cover fundamental devices and facilities, 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 unsuited for habitation. According to Tennessee Code Annotated § 68-111-101, renters whose lease is $200 or less per week might file a complaint with their local building inspector or county public health department. Complaints require 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 examination. This part of the law does not use to renters who pay their lease month-to-month or for a term greater than monthly. For non-qualifying complaints, other building codes or regulations that the building inspector is licensed to enforce, might be appropriate to residential property rented at greater rates.

What if I live in federal government assisted housing?

The federal government assists low-income families, the senior, and the handicapped to manage good, safe, and hygienic housing in the private market. Participants discover their own housing, consisting of single-family homes, townhouses, and apartments. There is a yearly Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection procedure to guarantee that homes are clean and safe. Renters with assisted housing, such as Section 8, need to start by talking with the office that issued their rental Housing Choice Voucher (HCV).

The Tennessee Housing Development Agency performs contract administration for Section 8 residential issues in 76 counties. If the residential or commercial property owner or agent is not fulfilling their responsibilities, TDHA may intervene. To find out more, call THDA at 1-800-228-THDA (8432) throughout normal business hours or visit the THDA website anytime. Local public housing agencies (PHAs) provide services in the other counties. A few of the local offices are the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, Murfreesboro Housing Authority, Memphis Housing Authority, and Knox County Housing Authority.

Renters who get support can contact their local U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development workplace. 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 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 assist with renters in rural locations?

Yes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a rural advancement 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 call your rural development regional workplace.

Where can I discover more about healthy housing policy?

Our Healthy Places web page supplies more information about the places we live, work and play. Click on this link to find out more about healthy housing policies.