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How is renting different from home ownership? What are my duties 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 during 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 live in government assisted housing? Does the USDA assist with renters in rural areas? Where can I find out more about healthy housing policy? Additional resources

* * * Our Healthy Homes personnel are not doctors or lawyers. The information on our Healthy Homes Website does not provide medical or legal advice. This details is not a replacement for visiting your physician or for speaking with an attorney about your specific situation. * * *
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3 Actions a Concerned Renter Should Do:

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

2. Do not stop paying lease. It would likely protest 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 contract. Both renter and property manager have duties.

It is likely illegal for a property owner to strike back against an occupant who files a problem, calls Buiding Codes, or takes legal action. Changing locks, shutting off utilities, appearing typically, or rent can be retaliation.

How is leasing various from own a home?

Renting is different from own a home in that the renter need to rely on somebody else to make repair work. The occupant may not have the ability to make modifications to the home without approval. A tenant has both rights and responsibilities. Renting can be a great option for lots of individuals to keep a healthy home environment, both indoors and outdoors. Whether you rent a house, home, duplex, mobile home or cabin you can keep the seven healthy homes concepts. Keep in mind that excellent health begins at home.

What are my obligations as a tenant?

Renters are accountable for cleanliness and safety. You might lease without any formal arrangement, or you might have a lease contract. The most common kind of tenant in Tennessee is a renter who signs a lease arrangement to pay lease each month throughout the year. Renters may be asked to offer a security deposit. Lease agreements are legally binding agreements. You are accountable for following the regards to your lease. Some lease contracts have addendums such as pet policies, pest 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 trash, and following your proprietor's guidelines. If you break your lease, then it may become a legal problem.

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 8 basic principles to keeping a healthy home.

1. Keep it Dry. - Damp homes provide a good environment for termites, roaches, rodents and molds. 2. Keep it Clean. - Clean homes help reduce pest infestations and exposure to pollutants. 3. Keep it Pest-Free. - Exposure to mice and cockroaches might increase asthma attacks. Improper pesticide treatments for pest infestations can get worse health problems, since pesticide residues in homes can posture health threats. 4. Keep it Safe. - The bulk of kids's injuries take place in the home. Falls are the most regular 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. Keep in mind direct exposure is typically higher inside. 6. Keep it Ventilated. - Studies have revealed increasing fresh air in a home enhances respiratory health. 7. Keep it Maintained. - Poorly-maintained homes are at danger of being unhealthy. 8. Keep it Thermally Controlled. - Houses that do not maintain adequate temperatures might put the security of citizens at increased risk from direct exposure to severe heat or cold.

If you utilize these principles as a guide, you can keep 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 obligation to repair the problem or it might be your proprietor's responsibility to make repair work. Read your rental lease agreement. Adhere to any requirements for tidiness or security. Report any needed repairs to the landlord as they occur. Putting your concerns in composing is finest. This produces a record of your concerns. Repairs to your rental home must be made in a reasonable quantity of time. The amount of time may be listed in your lease.

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

Disputes in between a landlord and a renter are civil concerns. Most proprietor and tenant issues are beyond 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 occupants.

What are my rights as a renter?

According to the Legal Aid Society, as an occupant you have the right to a habitable location and to live quietly. Your rights as an occupant may vary depending upon which county you live in. The Legal Aid Society has a useful fact sheet to help you understand your rights as an occupant. How to contact 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, plumbing or cooling, you must signal your landlord right away.

If the need for repair in not an emergency situation, then 14 days is typically considered as a sensible quantity of time for the proprietor to make repair work. Hopefully, most repairs will be made rather after a landlord is warned. Use your routine approach of reporting needs for repair work such as a website, call, text, or office go to. Put something into writing to document when you made the property owner aware of the requirement for repair work.

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

You can not be displaced of your rental home. You can not be kicked out without notice. The property manager can not change the locks or shut down your utilities to make you leave. Most of the time, a landlord needs to go to court before evicting you. If you did something dangerous or threatening, the landlord just needs to offer you three (3) days to vacate. If you did not pay rent or broke your lease contract, you might be provided a thirty (30) day discover to move out. If you have legal questions about housing, you ought to consult with an attorney or legal services.

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Serices has a HELP4TN site, 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 great website to start.

If you qualify based on income or assistance status, the Legal Aid Society might be able to help. Remember, Legal Aid has a customer waiting list and seldom will cases take place 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 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 standards. Codes can apply to residential or non-residential residential or commercial properties or both. Codes examinations can occur at any time, though they are most common with new building and construction or restoration. Building Codes assist to guarantee security within a building. It is essential to have buildings up to code. Landlords are responsible for satisfying Codes.

All city locations in Tennessee have their own codes departments to impose Residential or commercial property Maintenance Codes. Many big county or local government have codes departments. Though, lots of small towns and backwoods do not have any standardized minimum residential or commercial property upkeep codes. Several codes departments across the state have adopted the International Residential or commercial property Maintenance Code. Codes inspectors might inspect electrical, plumbing, gas, zoning, and other physical aspects of a home. Contact your regional codes department for info particular to your place.

Often Building Codes will ask if a tenant has actually currently informed their proprietor about the requirement for repair and offered the landlord sensible time to make the repair. Afterward, Buiding Codes might perform an evaluation. If there is an evaluation, be sure to request a copy of any notes or citations. Remember that Building Codes can just go to homes where the renter 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 just uses in counties of greater than 75,000 population as of the 2010 U.S. Census. For these more populated counties, there are written requirements and protections to rental contracts including commitments for maintenance by the property manager to comply with requirements of appropriate structure and housing codes materially impacting healthy and safety, as noted 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 requirements for rental housing. These guidelines belong to Tennessee Code Annotated § 53-5502 restructured as § 68-111 in Chapter 1200-1-2. The rules cover basic devices and facilities, light and ventilation, temperature, and sanitation.

Can I make a protest?

If a rental residential or commercial property breaks minimum health requirements it may be unfit for habitation. According to Tennessee Code Annotated § 68-111-101, occupants whose lease is $200 or less per week might file a grievance with their regional structure inspector or county public health department. Complaints need to be submitted in writing with your county health department and a copy should be forwarded by licensed mail to the proprietor. A certifying grievance can result in a home investigation. This part of the law does not apply to renters who pay their rent month-to-month or for a term higher than month-to-month. For non-qualifying complaints, other building codes or regulations that the building inspector is licensed to implement, might be relevant to residential home leased at greater rates.

What if I live in federal government assisted housing?

The federal government assists low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to pay for decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Participants discover their own housing, including single-family homes, townhouses, and apartments. There is a yearly Housing Quality Standards (HQS) assessment treatment to ensure that homes are tidy and safe. Renters with assisted housing, such as Section 8, ought to begin by talking with the office that released their rental Housing Choice Voucher (HCV).

The Tennessee Housing Development Agency carries out agreement administration for Section 8 domestic problems in 76 counties. If the residential or commercial property owner or agent is not fulfilling their duties, TDHA might intervene. For more details, call THDA at 1-800-228-THDA (8432) during regular business hours or go to the THDA webpage anytime. Local public housing companies (PHAs) offer services in the other counties. A few of the local workplaces are the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, Murfreesboro Housing Authority, Memphis Housing Authority, and Knox County Housing Authority.

Renters who receive help can contact their local U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development office. A number of HUD's programs have specific requirements for housing quality. If your housing is not up to requirements, then HUD might step in to have the landlord make repairs as required. 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 help with occupants in rural locations?

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 call your rural advancement regional office.

Where can I find out more about healthy housing policy?

Our Healthy Places website supplies more information about the places we live, work and play. Click on this link for more information about healthy housing policies.