How is renting different from own a home? 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 renters and occupants 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 federal government assisted housing? Does the USDA help with occupants in rural locations? 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 provide medical or legal guidance. This info is not an alternative for visiting your medical professional or for consulting with a lawyer about your particular scenario. * * *

3 Actions a Concerned Renter Should Do:

1. Put everything 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 versus the lease or the law. Keep your rent invoices as evidence you paid.

3. Read your lease. Whatever is composed in the lease is a legal agreement. Both tenant and proprietor have responsibilities.

It is most likely prohibited for a property owner to strike back against a renter who submits a complaint, calls Buiding Codes, or takes legal action. Changing locks, turning off utilities, revealing up often, or inappropriately raising rent can be retaliation.

How is leasing different from home ownership?

Renting is various from own a home in that the occupant should depend on somebody else to make repairs. The occupant may not have the ability to make changes to the home without authorization. A renter has both rights and obligations. Renting can be a good alternative for numerous people to keep a healthy home environment, both inside your home and outdoors. Whether you lease a house, apartment, duplex, mobile home or cabin you can keep the 7 healthy homes concepts. Keep in mind that excellent health begins at home.

What are my responsibilities as an occupant?

Renters are accountable for tidiness and security. You might lease without any formal agreement, or you might have a lease contract. The most typical type of tenant in Tennessee is a renter who signs a lease contract to pay lease monthly throughout the year. Renters may be asked to offer a down payment. Lease arrangements are lawfully binding contracts. You are accountable for following the terms of your lease. Some lease agreements have addendums such as pet policies, insect control agreements or for reporting water damage. You are accountable for: paying your rent on time, paying any late fees, keeping the place tidy and safe, not letting anybody else damage it, not breaking the law, disposing of your trash, and following your landlord's guidelines. If you break your lease, then it may become a legal issue.

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 supply an excellent environment for mites, roaches, rodents and molds.

1. Keep it Clean. - Clean homes help in reducing insect invasions and direct exposure to impurities.
2. Keep it Pest-Free. - Exposure to mice and cockroaches might increase asthma attacks. Improper pesticide treatments for bug problems can aggravate health problems, because pesticide residues in homes can posture health risks.
3. Keep it Safe. - The bulk of kids's injuries take place in the home. Falls are the most regular cause of residential injuries to children, followed by injuries from objects in the home, burns, and poisonings.
4. Keep it Contaminant-Free. - Avoid direct exposure to lead, radon, carbon monoxide gas, pesticides, asbestos and environmental tobacco smoke. Keep in mind exposure is typically higher inside your home.
5. Keep it Ventilated. - Studies have shown increasing fresh air in a home enhances respiratory health.
6. Keep it Maintained. - Poorly-maintained homes are at danger of being unhealthy.
7. Keep it Thermally Controlled. - Houses that do not maintain appropriate temperatures may place the security of homeowners at increased threat from direct exposure to severe heat or cold.
   
   If you use these concepts as a guide, you can keep a safe and healthy home. If you are having an issue keeping any of these principles, other parts of this site will have details 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 may be your property manager's duty to make repair work. Read your rental lease agreement. Abide by any requirements for cleanliness or security. Report any needed repair work to the property manager as they develop. Putting your issues in composing is best. This develops a record of your issues. Repairs to your rental home must be made in a reasonable quantity of time. The quantity of time might be noted in your lease.
   
   If your proprietor has not made repairs in an affordable amount of time, you may require to interact more straight, such as with additional written problems or an in person meeting. If your property owner continues to overlook your issues, you may need to pursue legal action.
   
   Disputes between a proprietor and a renter are civil issues. Most property manager and tenant issues are beyond the authority of the Health Department. These issues 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 renter you deserve to a livable location and to live in harmony. Your rights as an occupant might differ depending upon which county you live in. The Legal Aid Society has a helpful reality sheet to assist 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 listed below.
   
   If your rental home needs an emergency situation repair to keep it healthy, such as a repair work of the heat, gas, lights, water, sewage, plumbing or air conditioning, you must signal your proprietor right now.
   
   If the need for repair work in not an emergency, then 14 days is usually considered as an affordable amount of time for the proprietor to make repairs. Hopefully, many repair work will be made rather after a property owner is warned. Use your routine technique of reporting requirements for repair such as a site, call, text message, or office go to. Put something into writing to record when you made the proprietor aware of the need for repair work.
   
   In some counties you can utilize a few of your lease money to make these instant repairs. If the problem was your fault, you may need to assist spend for the repair work.
   
   You can not be displaced of your rental home. You can not be evicted without notification. The property manager can not alter 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 harmful or threatening, the property manager only requires to provide you 3 (3) days to move out. If you did not pay rent or broke your lease contract, you might be offered a thirty (30) day discover to leave. If you have legal concerns about housing, you ought to speak with a lawyer or legal services.
   
   The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Serices has a HELP4TN site, chatbot, and telephone to help people who need assist with their legal issues. If you do not have your own legal representative, this is a good website to begin.
   
   If you certify based upon income or help status, the Legal Aid Society may have the ability to assist. Remember, Legal Aid has a customer waiting list and seldom will cases occur fast. Contact the workplace near you for more details.
   
   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 understand your rights and duties as a tenant. Click the left image for counties of 75,000 or more population and the right 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 occur at any time, though they are most typical with new building and construction or restoration. Building Codes help to ensure security within a structure. It is necessary to have structures up to code. Landlords are accountable for fulfilling 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 small 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 might check electrical, plumbing, gas, zoning, and other physical elements of a home. Contact your regional codes department for details particular to your location.
   
   Often Building regulations will ask if a renter has currently informed their proprietor about the requirement for repair and provided the sensible time to make the repair work. Afterward, Buiding Codes might perform an evaluation. If there is an inspection, be sure to request a copy of any notes or citations. Keep in mind that Building Codes can just go to homes where the tenant has legal right to enable their go to.
   
   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 since the 2010 U.S. Census. For these more inhabited counties, there are written requirements and securities to rental arrangements including obligations for maintenance by the proprietor to adhere to requirements of appropriate building and housing codes materially affecting healthy and safety, as listed 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 are part of Tennessee Code Annotated § 53-5502 rearranged 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 a protest?
   
   If a rental residential or commercial property breaches minimum health requirements it might be unfit for habitation. According to Tennessee Code Annotated § 68-111-101, occupants whose lease is $200 or less per week may submit a complaint with their regional building 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 licensed mail to the property owner. A certifying grievance can result in a home examination. This part of the law does not apply to renters who pay their lease monthly or for a term higher than monthly. For non-qualifying problems, other building codes or regulations that the structure inspector is licensed to impose, may be relevant to domestic property rented at higher rates.
   
   What if I reside in federal government assisted housing?
   
   The federal government assists low-income families, the senior, and the handicapped to afford good, safe, and sanitary housing in the personal market. Participants find their own housing, consisting of single-family homes, townhouses, and apartment or condos. There is a yearly Housing Quality Standards (HQS) examination treatment to guarantee that homes are clean and safe. Renters with assisted housing, such as Section 8, should start by talking with the office that provided their rental Housing Choice Voucher (HCV).
   
   The Tennessee Housing Development Agency performs contract administration for Section 8 property problems in 76 counties. If the residential or commercial property owner or agent is not fulfilling their duties, TDHA may step in. To find out more, call THDA at 1-800-228-THDA (8432) throughout normal organization hours or go to the THDA website anytime. Local public housing firms (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 call their regional 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 property owner make repair work 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 tenants in backwoods?
   
   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 residing in USDA-assisted rural housing you can call your rural advancement regional office.
   
   Where can I discover more about healthy housing policy?
   
   Our Healthy Places website supplies more information about the locations we live, work and play. Click here to read more about healthy housing policies.