How is renting different from own a home? 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 a renter? 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 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 medical professionals or attorneys. The information on our Healthy Homes Website does not supply medical or legal suggestions. This information is not a substitute for visiting your physician or for seeking advice from a lawyer about your particular situation. * * *

3 Actions a Concerned Renter Should Do:

1. Put everything 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 be against the lease or the law. Keep your lease receipts as evidence you paid.

3. Read your lease. Whatever is written in the lease is a legal contract. Both tenant and proprietor have duties.

It is most likely illegal for a property manager to strike back against a tenant who files a problem, calls Buiding Codes, or takes legal action. Changing locks, turning off energies, appearing typically, or wrongly raising lease can be retaliation.

How is leasing various from home ownership?

Renting is different from home ownership because the occupant should count on somebody else to make repairs. The tenant may not have the ability to make changes to the home without authorization. A renter has both rights and duties. Renting can be a good alternative for many individuals to maintain a healthy home environment, both indoors and outdoors. Whether you rent a house, house, duplex, mobile home or cabin you can keep the 7 healthy homes concepts. Keep in mind that good health starts at home.

What are my duties as a renter?

Renters are accountable for tidiness and safety. You might rent without any formal agreement, or you may have a lease contract. The most typical type of tenant in Tennessee is an occupant who signs a lease contract to pay rent every month throughout the year. Renters might be asked to supply a down payment. Lease agreements are legally binding contracts. You are accountable for following the regards to your lease. Some lease arrangements have addendums such as pet policies, bug control contracts or for reporting water damage. You are accountable for: paying your rent on time, paying any late costs, keeping the location clean and safe, not letting anyone else damage it, not breaking the law, disposing of your garbage, and following your landlord'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 standard principles to keeping a healthy home.

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

1. Keep it Clean. - Clean homes assist minimize pest infestations and exposure to contaminants.
2. Keep it Pest-Free. - Exposure to mice and cockroaches might increase asthma attacks. Improper pesticide treatments for pest invasions can worsen health issue, since pesticide residues in homes can pose health dangers.
3. Keep it Safe. - The bulk of children's injuries occur in the home. Falls are the most frequent cause of property injuries to children, followed by injuries from things in the home, burns, and poisonings.
4. Keep it Contaminant-Free. - Avoid exposure to lead, radon, carbon monoxide gas, pesticides, asbestos and environmental tobacco smoke. Bear in mind exposure is frequently higher inside.
5. Keep it Ventilated. - Studies have actually revealed increasing fresh air in a home improves breathing health.
6. Keep it Maintained. - Poorly-maintained homes are at threat of being unhealthy.
7. Keep it Thermally Controlled. - Houses that do not preserve sufficient temperature levels might put the safety of citizens at increased threat from direct exposure to severe heat or cold.
   
   If you utilize 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 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 responsibility to repair the problem or it might be your property manager's responsibility to make repairs. Read your rental lease contract. Adhere to any requirements for tidiness or safety. Report any required repair work to the property owner as they arise. Putting your concerns in composing is best. This produces a record of your concerns. Repairs to your rental home should be made in an affordable amount of time. The quantity of time may be noted in your lease.
   
   If your property owner has actually not made repair work in an affordable quantity of time, you may require to interact more directly, such as with additional composed complaints or an in person meeting. If your property owner continues to overlook your issues, you may require to pursue legal action.
   
   Disputes in between a landlord and a tenant are civil issues. Most property owner and renter issues are beyond the authority of the Health Department. These concerns would be ruled on by a civil court judge translating the law. There are some programs that support occupants.
   
   What are my rights as an occupant?
   
   According to the Legal Aid Society, as an occupant you can a habitable place and to live in harmony. Your rights as a tenant might vary depending on which county you reside in. The Legal Aid Society has a beneficial reality sheet to assist you understand your rights as a tenant. How to contact the Legal Aid Society or the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services is noted below.
   
   If your rental home needs an emergency situation repair work to keep it healthy, such as a repair of the heat, gas, lights, water, sewage, plumbing or air conditioning, you must alert your proprietor right now.
   
   If the need for repair in not an emergency, then 2 week is normally considered as a sensible quantity of time for the property manager to make repairs. Hopefully, a lot of repairs will be made rather after a proprietor is made mindful. Use your regular technique of reporting needs for repair work such as a website, telephone call, text, or workplace check out. Put something into composing to document when you made the proprietor aware of the requirement for repair.
   
   In some counties you can utilize some of your lease money to make these immediate repairs. If the issue was your fault, you might have to assist pay for the repair work.
   
   You can not be displaced of your rental home. You can not be forced out without notification. The landlord can not change the locks or shut off your energies to make you leave. Most of the time, a landlord requires to go to court before evicting you. If you did something harmful or threatening, the property owner just needs to offer you 3 (3) days to leave. If you did not pay rent or broke your lease contract, you might be offered a thirty (30) day observe to leave. 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 assist individuals who need aid with their legal issues. If you do not have your own attorney, this is a great website to begin.
   
   If you qualify based on income or help status, the Legal Aid Society might have the ability to assist. Remember, Legal Aid has a customer waiting list and hardly ever will cases occur fast. Contact the office near you for additional information.
   
   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 fact sheets to help you comprehend your rights and tasks as a renter. Click the left image for counties of 75,000 or more population and the right 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 standards. 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 common with new building and construction or remodelling. Building Codes help to make sure safety within a building. It is necessary to have buildings up to code. Landlords are responsible for satisfying Codes.
   
   All city locations in Tennessee have their own codes departments to implement Residential or commercial property Maintenance Codes. Many big county or city federal governments have codes departments. Though, numerous little towns and backwoods do not have any standardized minimum residential or commercial property upkeep codes. Several codes departments throughout the state have embraced the International Residential or commercial property Maintenance Code. Codes inspectors may inspect electrical, pipes, gas, zoning, and other physical elements of a home. Contact your regional codes department for info specific to your location.
   
   Often Building regulations will ask if a tenant has actually already informed their proprietor about the requirement for repair work and offered the proprietor affordable time to make the repair. Afterward, Buiding Codes might carry out an examination. If there is an inspection, make certain to ask for a copy of any notes or citations. Keep in mind that Building Codes can only visit homes where the tenant 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 greater than 75,000 population since the 2010 U.S. Census. For these more inhabited counties, there are written requirements and securities to rental contracts consisting of responsibilities for maintenance by the proprietor to comply with requirements of applicable structure and housing codes materially affecting 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 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 standard equipment and facilities, light and ventilation, temperature level, and sanitation.
   
   Can I make an official problem?
   
   If a rental residential or commercial property breaks minimum health standards it may be unfit for habitation. According to Tennessee Code Annotated § 68-111-101, tenants whose lease is $200 or less each week may file a problem with their regional structure 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 proprietor. A qualifying complaint can result in a home investigation. This part of the law does not use to renters who pay their lease regular monthly or for a term greater than monthly. For non-qualifying complaints, other building codes or regulations that the structure inspector is licensed to implement, may apply to home leased at greater rates.
   
   What if I live in federal government assisted housing?
   
   The federal government helps low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to pay for decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the personal market. Participants discover their own housing, single-family homes, townhouses, and apartments. There is an annual Housing Quality Standards (HQS) assessment procedure to guarantee that homes are tidy and safe. Renters with assisted housing, such as Section 8, ought to begin by talking with the workplace that released their rental Housing Choice Voucher (HCV).
   
   The Tennessee Housing Development Agency performs contract administration for Section 8 residential problems in 76 counties. If the residential or commercial property owner or agent is not fulfilling their obligations, TDHA might step in. For additional information, call THDA at 1-800-228-THDA (8432) throughout regular organization hours or check out the THDA web page anytime. Local public housing agencies (PHAs) provide services in the other counties. Some of the regional workplaces 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 regional U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development workplace. A number 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 assist with tenants in backwoods?
   
   Yes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a rural development program. USDA assists 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 find out more about healthy housing policy?
   
   Our Healthy Places webpage offers more info about the places we live, work and play. Click here to learn more about healthy housing policies.
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