How is renting various from home ownership?
What are my obligations 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 renter?
Fact sheets for tenants and renters 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 an official problem?
What if I reside in federal government assisted housing?
Does the USDA assist with renters in rural locations?
Where can I discover more about healthy housing policy?
Additional resources

* * * Our Healthy Homes personnel are not physicians or lawyers. The details on our Healthy Homes Website does not offer medical or legal suggestions. This details is not a replacement for visiting your physician or for talking to a lawyer about your specific circumstance. * * *

3 Actions a Worried Renter Should Do:

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

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

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

It is likely prohibited for a property manager to strike back versus a tenant who files a grievance, calls Buiding Codes, or takes legal action. Changing locks, shutting down energies, showing up often, or inappropriately raising rent can be retaliation.

How is renting different from own a home?

Renting is different from own a home in that the occupant must rely on another person to make repairs. The occupant may not have the ability to make modifications to the home without approval. A renter has both rights and duties. Renting can be a good option for many individuals to preserve a healthy home environment, both inside and outdoors. Whether you rent a home, apartment, duplex, mobile home or cabin you can keep the 7 healthy homes concepts. Keep in mind that health begins at home.

What are my obligations as an occupant?

Renters are accountable for tidiness and safety. You may lease with no official agreement, or you might have a lease contract. The most typical type 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 agreements are lawfully binding agreements. You are accountable for following the terms of your lease. Some lease contracts have addendums such as pet policies, pest control agreements or for reporting water damage. You are responsible for: paying your rent on time, paying any late costs, keeping the place clean and safe, not letting anybody else damage it, not breaking the law, dealing with your trash, and following your property manager's guidelines. 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 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 8 basic principles to preserving a healthy home.

1. Keep it Dry. - Damp homes offer an excellent environment for termites, roaches, rodents and molds.
2. Keep it Clean. - Clean homes help lower bug infestations and direct exposure to impurities.
3. Keep it Pest-Free. - Exposure to mice and cockroaches may increase asthma attacks. Improper pesticide treatments for bug problems can get worse health issue, considering that pesticide residues in homes can position health threats.
4. Keep it Safe. - The bulk of kids's injuries take place in the home. Falls are the most frequent reason for property injuries to children, followed by injuries from things in the home, burns, and poisonings.
5. Keep it Contaminant-Free. - Avoid exposure to lead, radon, carbon monoxide gas, pesticides, asbestos and environmental tobacco smoke. Remember exposure is often higher indoors.
6. Keep it Ventilated. - Studies have revealed increasing fresh air in a home enhances breathing health.
7. Keep it Maintained. - Poorly-maintained homes are at threat of being unhealthy.
8. Keep it Thermally Controlled. - Houses that do not keep appropriate temperature levels might position the safety of homeowners at increased danger from exposure to severe 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 keeping 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 might be your obligation to repair the issue or it might be your proprietor's obligation to make repairs. Read your rental lease agreement. Abide by any requirements for cleanliness or safety. Report any needed repair work to the property owner as they develop. Putting your issues in composing is finest. This develops a record of your concerns. Repairs to your rental home ought to be made in an affordable quantity of time. The quantity of time might be listed in your lease.

If your landlord has actually not made repair work in a reasonable amount of time, you might require to communicate more straight, such as with extra composed complaints or a face-to-face meeting. If your landlord continues to overlook your issues, you might require to pursue legal action.

Disputes between a landlord and a renter are civil problems. Most property manager and renter issues are outside of the authority of the Health Department. These issues would be ruled on by a civil court judge analyzing the law. There are some programs that support tenants.

What are my rights as a renter?

According to the Legal Aid Society, as a renter you can a habitable place and to live peacefully. Your rights as a tenant may vary depending upon which county you live in. The Legal Aid Society has a useful fact sheet to assist you comprehend your rights as a renter. How to contact the Legal Aid Society or the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services is listed below.

If your rental home requires an emergency repair to keep it healthy, such as a repair of the heat, gas, lights, water, sewage, plumbing or a/c, you must inform your proprietor immediately.

If the need for repair work in not an emergency situation, then 2 week is usually considered as an affordable amount of time for the proprietor to make repairs. Hopefully, a lot of repairs will be made rather after a proprietor is warned. Use your regular method of reporting needs for repair such as a website, phone call, text, or office visit. Put something into writing to record when you made the property owner knowledgeable about the need for repair.

In some counties you can use a few of your lease money to make these instant repairs. If the issue was your fault, you may need to help pay for the repair work.

You can not be displaced of your rental home. You can not be evicted without notice. The proprietor can not change the locks or turned off your utilities to make you leave. Most of the time, a property manager needs to go to court before evicting you. If you did something hazardous or threatening, the property owner only needs to give you 3 (3) days to leave. If you did not pay lease or broke your lease agreement, you might be provided a thirty (30) day see to leave. If you have legal questions about housing, you need to talk to an attorney or legal services.

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Serices has a HELP4TN website, chatbot, and telephone to help individuals who need aid with their legal concerns. If you do not have your own lawyer, this is a great website to start.

If you qualify based on income or help status, the Legal Aid Society may have the ability to assist. Bear in mind, Legal Aid has a customer waiting list and seldom will cases happen quick. 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 produced these truth sheets to help you understand your rights and duties as a tenant. 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 maintenance requirements. Codes can use to domestic or non-residential residential or commercial properties or both. Codes inspections can happen at any time, though they are most typical with brand-new building or remodelling. Building Codes help to make sure security within a structure. It is essential to have buildings up to code. Landlords are accountable for satisfying Codes.

All cities in Tennessee have their own codes departments to impose Residential or commercial property Maintenance Codes. Many big county or city federal governments have codes departments. Though, lots of towns and backwoods do not have any standardized minimum residential or commercial property maintenance codes. Several codes departments across the state have embraced the International Residential or commercial property Maintenance Code. Codes inspectors might check electrical, plumbing, gas, zoning, and other physical elements of a home. Contact your regional codes department for info specific to your area.

Often Building regulations will ask if a renter has already informed their property manager about the requirement for repair work and given the property manager reasonable time to make the repair. Afterward, Buiding Codes may perform an examination. If there is an evaluation, be sure to ask for a copy of any notes or citations. Keep in mind that Building Codes can just check out homes where the occupant has legal right to enable their visit.

What is URLTA?

Tennessee Code Annotated § 66-28 is the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. URLTA only applies in counties of higher than 75,000 population since the 2010 U.S. Census. For these more populated counties, there are written requirements and securities to rental arrangements consisting of responsibilities for upkeep by the landlord to abide by requirements of suitable building and housing codes materially impacting healthy and safety, as noted in 66-28-304.( a).

What are the minimum requirements for rental housing?

The Tennessee Department of Health is responsible for promoting guidelines for minimum health standards for rental housing. These rules become part of Tennessee Code Annotated § 53-5502 restructured as § 68-111 in Chapter 1200-1-2. The rules cover basic equipment and facilities, light and ventilation, temperature, and sanitation.

Can I make a protest?

If a rental residential or commercial property breaks minimum health standards it might be unsuited for habitation. According to Tennessee Code Annotated § 68-111-101, renters whose rent is $200 or less weekly might submit a problem with their regional structure inspector or county public health department. Complaints need to be filed in writing with your county health department and a copy need to be forwarded by qualified mail to the property owner. A qualifying problem can result in a home examination. This part of the law does not apply to renters who pay their lease regular monthly or for a term greater than month-to-month. For non-qualifying grievances, other building codes or ordinances that the structure inspector is authorized to impose, may apply to home rented at higher rates.

What if I reside in federal government assisted housing?

The federal government helps low-income households, the senior, and the disabled to manage good, safe, and sanitary housing in the personal market. Participants discover their own housing, consisting of single-family homes, townhouses, and apartment or condos. There is an annual Housing Quality Standards (HQS) assessment treatment to make sure that homes are clean and safe. Renters 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 performs contract administration for Section 8 property issues in 76 counties. If the residential or commercial property owner or representative is not satisfying their responsibilities, TDHA might step in. For more info, call THDA at 1-800-228-THDA (8432) throughout normal service hours or go to the THDA web page anytime. Local public housing firms (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 get help can contact their local U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development workplace. A lot of HUD's programs have particular requirements for housing quality. If your housing is not up to requirements, then HUD might intervene to have the proprietor 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 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 find out more about healthy housing policy?

Our Healthy Places webpage provides more details about the places we live, work and play. Click here to get more information about healthy housing policies.