How is renting different from home ownership? What are my duties 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 tenants and occupants throughout 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 protest? What if I reside in government assisted housing? Does the USDA help with occupants in rural areas? Where can I discover more about healthy housing policy? Additional resources
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* * * Our Healthy Homes staff are not doctors or legal representatives. The info on our Healthy Homes Website does not supply medical or legal guidance. This information is not an alternative to visiting your physician or for speaking with an attorney about your specific circumstance. * * *

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 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 composed in the lease is a legal agreement. Both renter and landlord have responsibilities.

It is most likely prohibited for a property manager to strike back against a tenant who submits a grievance, calls Buiding Codes, or takes legal action. Changing locks, shutting down utilities, appearing frequently, or inappropriately raising lease can be retaliation.

How is renting various from own a home?

Renting is various from own a home because the renter must count on somebody else to make repairs. The occupant might not be able to make modifications to the home without permission. A renter has both rights and responsibilities. Renting can be a great choice for lots of people to preserve a healthy home environment, both indoors and outdoors. Whether you rent a home, apartment, duplex, mobile home or cabin you can keep the 7 healthy homes principles. Keep in mind that health begins in the house.

What are my obligations as a tenant?

Renters are accountable for tidiness and safety. You may lease with no formal agreement, or you might have a lease contract. The most common kind of occupant in Tennessee is an occupant who signs a lease agreement to pay lease each month throughout the year. Renters may be asked to provide a down payment. Lease agreements are lawfully binding agreements. You are responsible for following the regards to your lease. Some lease contracts have addendums such as pet policies, insect control agreements or for reporting water damage. You are accountable for: paying your lease on time, paying any late charges, keeping the location tidy and safe, not letting anyone else damage it, not breaking the law, getting rid of your garbage, and following your property owner'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 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 basic principles to preserving a healthy home.

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

1. Keep it Clean. - Clean homes assist lower pest invasions and exposure to contaminants.
2. Keep it Pest-Free. - Exposure to mice and cockroaches may increase asthma attacks. Improper pesticide treatments for bug infestations can intensify illness, considering that pesticide residues in homes can position health risks.
3. Keep it Safe. - The majority of kids's injuries take place in the home. Falls are the most frequent reason for residential injuries to children, 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 typically higher inside.
5. Keep it Ventilated. - Studies have actually shown increasing fresh air in a home improves 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 adequate temperatures may place the of locals at increased threat from direct 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 maintaining any of these principles, other parts of this site 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 problem or it might be your landlord's duty to make repairs. Read your rental lease contract. Comply with any requirements for tidiness or security. Report any needed repairs to the proprietor as they arise. Putting your issues in composing is finest. This develops a record of your concerns. Repairs to your rental home need to be made in a sensible amount of time. The amount of time may be noted in your lease.
   
   If your proprietor has actually not made repairs in a sensible quantity of time, you might require to communicate more straight, such as with extra composed problems or a face-to-face meeting. If your property manager continues to neglect your issues, you might need to pursue legal action.
   
   Disputes in between a property manager and a renter are civil concerns. Most property owner and occupant 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 an occupant?
   
   According to the Legal Aid Society, as an occupant you can a habitable location and to live quietly. Your rights as an occupant may differ depending on which county you live in. The Legal Aid Society has a beneficial truth sheet to help you understand your rights as a tenant. 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 of the heat, gas, lights, water, sewage, pipes or air conditioning, you need to alert your proprietor immediately.
   
   If the need for repair work in not an emergency, then 2 week is normally considered as a reasonable amount of time for the landlord to make repairs. Hopefully, the majority of repair work will be made rather after a property owner is warned. Use your regular technique of reporting needs for repair such as a site, telephone call, text message, or workplace see. Put something into composing to record when you made the property manager knowledgeable about the need for repair work.
   
   In some counties you can use a few of your rent money to make these immediate repairs. If the issue 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 notice. The property manager can not alter the locks or turned off your energies to make you leave. Most of the time, a property manager requires to go to court before evicting you. If you did something hazardous or threatening, the property manager just requires to offer you 3 (3) days to leave. If you did not pay rent or broke your lease arrangement, you may be given a thirty (30) day notice to vacate. If you have legal questions about housing, you should seek advice from an attorney or legal services.
   
   The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Serices has a HELP4TN website, chatbot, and telephone to help people who require assistance with their legal concerns. If you do not have your own attorney, this is an excellent site to begin.
   
   If you certify based on income or support status, the Legal Aid Society might have the ability to help. Remember, Legal Aid has a client waiting list and rarely will cases take place fast. 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 produced these fact sheets to assist you comprehend your rights and tasks 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 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 construction or renovation. Building Codes assist to ensure 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 large county or city governments have codes departments. Though, numerous little 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 check electrical, plumbing, gas, zoning, and other physical elements of a home. Contact your local codes department for info specific to your location.
   
   Often Building regulations will ask if a tenant has actually currently informed their property owner about the requirement for repair and provided the property owner sensible time to make the repair work. Afterward, Buiding Codes might carry out an inspection. If there is an inspection, be sure to request a copy of any notes or citations. Keep in mind that Building regulations can just visit homes where the occupant 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 higher than 75,000 population as of the 2010 U.S. Census. For these more inhabited counties, there are written requirements and defenses to rental contracts consisting of obligations for maintenance by the property owner to abide by requirements of relevant building and housing codes materially affecting 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 guidelines are part of Tennessee Code Annotated § 53-5502 reorganized 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 an official grievance?
   
   If a rental residential or commercial property breaches minimum health standards it might be unsuited for habitation. According to Tennessee Code Annotated § 68-111-101, occupants whose rent is $200 or less each week might file a problem with their local building inspector or county public health department. Complaints need to be filed in composing with your county health department and a copy need to be forwarded by certified mail to the property manager. A qualifying complaint can result in a home investigation. This part of the law does not use to occupants who pay their rent month-to-month or for a term higher than month-to-month. For non-qualifying grievances, other building regulations or ordinances that the structure inspector is licensed to enforce, may apply to home rented at greater rates.
   
   What if I reside in government assisted housing?
   
   The federal government assists low-income households, the elderly, and the handicapped to manage decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the personal market. Participants discover their own housing, including single-family homes, townhouses, and apartments. There is an annual Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection procedure to make sure that homes are clean and safe. Renters with assisted housing, such as Section 8, should begin by talking with the office that issued their rental Housing Choice Voucher (HCV).
   
   The Tennessee Housing Development Agency performs agreement administration for Section 8 domestic concerns in 76 counties. If the residential or commercial property owner or representative is not fulfilling their obligations, TDHA may intervene. For additional information, call THDA at 1-800-228-THDA (8432) throughout regular business hours or check out the THDA website anytime. Local public housing companies (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 assistance can call their regional U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development office. A lot of HUD's programs have specific requirements for housing quality. If your housing is not up to standards, then HUD may step in to have the property manager make repair work 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 tenants 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 office.
   
   Where can I discover more about healthy housing policy?
   
   Our Healthy Places website provides more info about the locations we live, work and play. Click here to learn more about healthy housing policies.