How is renting different from home ownership?
What are my obligations as an occupant?
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 occupants 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 formal grievance?
What if I reside in federal government assisted housing?
Does the USDA help with occupants in backwoods?
Where can I discover more about healthy housing policy?
Additional resources

* * * Our Healthy Homes personnel are not medical professionals or attorneys. The details on our Healthy Homes Website does not provide medical or legal recommendations. This details is not an alternative to visiting your medical professional or for speaking with a legal representative about your particular circumstance. * * *

3 Actions a Worried Renter Should Do:

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

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

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

It is likely unlawful for a landlord to strike back against a renter who submits a grievance, calls Buiding Codes, or takes legal action. Changing locks, shutting down energies, revealing up often, or inappropriately raising lease can be retaliation.

How is renting various from own a home?

Renting is different from own a home in that the tenant need to count on someone else to make repair work. The occupant may not be able to make modifications to the home without approval. A tenant has both rights and responsibilities. Renting can be a good alternative for many individuals to maintain a healthy home environment, both inside and outdoors. Whether you rent a house, home, duplex, mobile home or cabin you can keep the 7 healthy homes principles. Bear in mind that excellent health starts in the house.

What are my obligations as a tenant?

Renters are accountable for tidiness and safety. You might rent without any official arrangement, or you may have a lease contract. The most typical kind of renter in Tennessee is a tenant who signs a lease contract to pay rent each month throughout the year. Renters may be asked to offer a down payment. Lease arrangements are legally binding agreements. You are accountable for following the regards to your lease. Some lease contracts have addendums such as pet policies, bug control agreements or for reporting water damage. You are accountable for: paying your rent on time, paying any late charges, keeping the place tidy and safe, not letting anyone else damage it, not breaking the law, dealing with your garbage, and following your proprietor's rules. 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 as well as Tips on How to Spot Rental and Moving Scammers.

What can I do to keep my rental home a healthy home?

There are 8 fundamental principles to keeping a healthy home.

1. Keep it Dry. - Damp homes supply an excellent environment for mites, roaches, rodents and molds.
2. Keep it Clean. - Clean homes help in reducing pest problems and exposure to contaminants.
3. Keep it Pest-Free. - Exposure to mice and cockroaches might increase asthma attacks. Improper pesticide treatments for insect problems can intensify health issues, since pesticide residues in homes can position health risks.
4. Keep it Safe. - Most of children's injuries take place in the home. Falls are the most frequent cause of residential injuries to children, followed by injuries from items in the home, burns, and poisonings.
5. Keep it Contaminant-Free. - Avoid direct exposure to lead, radon, carbon monoxide gas, pesticides, asbestos and environmental tobacco smoke. Bear in mind direct exposure is frequently greater indoors.
6. Keep it Ventilated. - Studies have actually revealed increasing fresh air in a home improves respiratory health.
7. Keep it Maintained. - Poorly-maintained homes are at threat of being unhealthy.
8. Keep it Thermally Controlled. - Houses that do not preserve adequate temperatures may place the safety of citizens at increased risk from exposure to severe heat or cold.

If you utilize these concepts as a guide, you can maintain a safe and healthy home. If you are having a problem keeping any of these concepts, other parts of this website will have information 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 fix the problem or it might be your property manager's duty to make repairs. Read your rental lease contract. Comply with any requirements for cleanliness or security. Report any needed repair work to the landlord as they arise. Putting your concerns in writing is best. This creates a record of your issues. Repairs to your rental home should be made in an affordable amount of time. The quantity of time may be listed in your lease.

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

Disputes in between a property manager and a tenant are civil issues. Most proprietor and tenant issues are beyond the authority of the Health Department. These issues would be ruled on by a civil court judge translating the law. There are some programs that support tenants.

What are my rights as a tenant?

According to the Legal Aid Society, as a tenant you have the right to a livable location and to live peacefully. Your rights as an occupant may differ depending on which county you reside in. The Legal Aid Society has a useful truth sheet to help 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 situation repair to keep it healthy, such as a repair of the heat, gas, lights, water, sewage, plumbing or air conditioning, you ought to alert your landlord immediately.

If the need for repair in not an emergency, then 2 week is typically considered as a reasonable quantity of time for the landlord to make repairs. Hopefully, the majority of repairs will be made rather after a landlord is made mindful. Use your routine approach of reporting needs for repair work such as a website, phone call, text, or office visit. Put something into composing to document when you made the property manager knowledgeable about the requirement for repair work.

In some counties you can utilize a few of your rent cash to make these instant repairs. If the problem was your fault, you might have to help pay for the repairs.

You can not be displaced of your rental home. You can not be forced out without notification. The property manager can not change the locks or turned off your utilities to make you leave. The majority of the time, a proprietor requires to go to court before evicting you. If you did something unsafe or threatening, the landlord only requires to give you three (3) days to move out. If you did not pay rent or broke your lease arrangement, you may be offered a thirty (30) day discover to leave. If you have legal questions about housing, you need to seek advice from with an attorney or legal services.

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Serices has a HELP4TN website, chatbot, and telephone to assist people who need assist with their legal issues. If you do not have your own attorney, this is an excellent website to begin.

If you qualify based on earnings or assistance status, the Legal Aid Society may have the ability to assist. Keep in mind, Legal Aid has a customer waiting list and hardly ever will cases occur quickly. Contact the office near you for more 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 produced these truth sheets to assist you understand your rights and tasks as a tenant. 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 standards. Codes can apply to residential or non-residential residential or commercial properties or both. Codes assessments can take place at any time, though they are most common with new building and construction or remodelling. Building Codes assist to guarantee security within a structure. It is necessary to have structures up to code. Landlords are accountable for meeting Codes.

All city areas 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, many towns and backwoods do not have any standardized minimum residential or commercial property upkeep codes. Several codes departments throughout the state have adopted the International Residential or commercial property Maintenance Code. Codes inspectors may check electrical, pipes, gas, zoning, and other physical aspects of a home. Contact your regional codes department for information particular to your place.

Often Building regulations will ask if a renter has currently informed their landlord about the need for repair work and offered the property owner reasonable time to make the repair. Afterward, Buiding Codes might carry out an assessment. If there is an evaluation, be sure to request a copy of any notes or citations. Bear in mind that Building Codes can just visit homes where the renter has legal right to enable their see.

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 populated counties, there are written requirements and defenses to rental agreements including responsibilities for maintenance by the property manager to adhere to requirements of relevant building and housing codes materially impacting healthy and security, as noted in 66-28-304.( a).

What are the minimum requirements for rental housing?

The Tennessee Department of Health is accountable for promoting rules for minimum health requirements for rental housing. These guidelines become part of Tennessee Code Annotated § 53-5502 rearranged as § 68-111 in Chapter 1200-1-2. The guidelines cover fundamental equipment and centers, light and ventilation, temperature level, and sanitation.

Can I make a protest?

If a rental residential or commercial property violates minimum health standards it may be unsuited for habitation. According to Tennessee Code Annotated § 68-111-101, renters whose lease is $200 or less each week may submit a complaint with their regional structure inspector or county public health department. Complaints need to be filed in composing with your county health department and a copy must be forwarded by certified mail to the proprietor. A qualifying problem can lead to a home investigation. This part of the law does not use to renters who pay their lease monthly or for a term higher than monthly. For non-qualifying problems, other structure codes or regulations that the building inspector is authorized to implement, may be suitable to home leased at greater rates.

What if I reside in government assisted housing?

The federal government helps low-income households, the elderly, and the handicapped to pay for decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Participants discover their own housing, consisting of single-family homes, townhouses, and apartment or condos. There is a yearly Housing Quality Standards (HQS) assessment procedure to ensure that homes are tidy and safe. Renters with assisted housing, such as Section 8, must begin by talking with the office that provided their rental Housing Choice Voucher (HCV).

The Tennessee Housing Development Agency carries out contract administration for Section 8 residential concerns in 76 counties. If the residential or commercial property owner or agent is not fulfilling their obligations, TDHA may step in. For additional information, call THDA at 1-800-228-THDA (8432) throughout regular service hours or check out the THDA website anytime. Local public housing agencies (PHAs) offer 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 assistance can call their regional U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development office. Much of HUD's programs have particular requirements for housing quality. If your housing is not up to standards, then HUD may intervene to have the landlord make repairs as needed. 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 areas?

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 question about residing in USDA-assisted rural housing you can contact your rural advancement local 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 discover more about healthy housing policies.