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How is leasing different from home ownership? 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 an occupant? Fact sheets for occupants 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 an official complaint? What if I live in federal government assisted housing? Does the USDA help with tenants in backwoods? Where can I find out more about healthy housing policy? Additional resources

* * * Our Healthy Homes personnel are not physicians or legal representatives. The information on our Healthy Homes Website does not supply medical or legal recommendations. This details is not a replacement for visiting your doctor or for talking to a lawyer about your particular scenario. * * *

3 Actions a Concerned Renter Should Do:

1. Put everything in writing. Take pictures and videos. Save emails, texts, letters, and voicemails. Write a calendar of occasions.

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

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

It is most likely illegal for a property owner to retaliate versus a tenant who files a problem, calls Buiding Codes, or takes legal action. Changing locks, shutting down energies, appearing often, or wrongly raising rent can be retaliation.

How is leasing various from home ownership?

Renting is different from home ownership because the tenant should rely on another person to make repair work. The occupant might not have the ability to make modifications to the home without authorization. An occupant has both rights and responsibilities. Renting can be a great option for lots of people to maintain a healthy home environment, both indoors and outdoors. Whether you lease a home, home, duplex, mobile home or cabin you can keep the 7 healthy homes principles. Keep in mind that great health starts in your home.

What are my obligations as an occupant?

Renters are responsible for tidiness and security. You might rent without any official agreement, or you may have a lease contract. The most common type of renter in Tennessee is an occupant who signs a lease contract to pay rent every month throughout the year. Renters may be asked to offer a down payment. Lease agreements are legally binding contracts. You are accountable for following the terms of your lease. Some lease agreements have addendums such as pet policies, bug control agreements or for reporting water damage. You are responsible for: paying your rent on time, paying any late costs, keeping the place tidy and safe, not letting anybody else damage it, not breaking the law, dealing with your trash, and following your property manager's rules. If you break your lease, then it might end up being 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 basic concepts to keeping a healthy home.

1. Keep it Dry. - Damp homes supply a good environment for mites, roaches, rodents and molds. 2. Keep it Clean. - Clean homes assist lower pest problems and exposure to contaminants. 3. Keep it Pest-Free. - Exposure to mice and cockroaches may increase asthma attacks. Improper pesticide treatments for pest problems can get worse illness, since pesticide residues in homes can posture health dangers. 4. Keep it Safe. - Most of children's injuries take place in the home. Falls are the most frequent cause of property injuries to kids, followed by injuries from objects in the home, burns, and poisonings. 5. Keep it Contaminant-Free. - Avoid exposure to lead, radon, carbon monoxide gas, pesticides, asbestos and ecological tobacco smoke. Remember exposure is frequently greater inside your home. 6. Keep it Ventilated. - Studies have revealed increasing fresh air in a home improves breathing health. 7. Keep it Maintained. - Poorly-maintained homes are at danger of being unhealthy. 8. Keep it Thermally Controlled. - Houses that do not maintain sufficient temperature levels may position the safety of residents at increased danger 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 a problem preserving any of these concepts, other parts of this website will have info and resources to assist 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 may be your property manager's responsibility to make repair work. Read your rental lease arrangement. Abide by any requirements for cleanliness or safety. Report any needed repairs to the landlord as they occur. Putting your concerns in writing is best. This creates a record of your issues. Repairs to your rental home ought to be made in an affordable amount of time. The quantity of time might 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 straight, such as with extra composed problems or an in person conference. If your property owner continues to overlook your concerns, you may need to pursue legal action.

Disputes between a proprietor and a renter are civil concerns. Most landlord and tenant concerns 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 renter?

According to the Legal Aid Society, as a tenant you can a livable place and to live peacefully. Your rights as a renter may differ depending upon which county you live in. The Legal Aid Society has a useful truth sheet to assist you understand your rights as a tenant. How to call 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 work of the heat, gas, lights, water, sewage, plumbing or air conditioning, you should notify your proprietor immediately.

If the need for repair in not an emergency, then 2 week is usually considered as an affordable amount of time for the proprietor to make repair work. Hopefully, most repairs will be made much earlier after a property manager is warned. Use your routine method of reporting needs for repair such as a website, call, text message, or workplace see. Put something into composing to document when you made the proprietor knowledgeable about the need for repair.

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

You can not be dislodged of your rental home. You can not be evicted without notice. The property owner can not change the locks or turned 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 unsafe or threatening, the proprietor only requires to provide you three (3) days to move out. If you did not pay lease or broke your lease contract, you may be given a thirty (30) day notice to vacate. If you have legal concerns about housing, you must seek advice from a lawyer or legal services.

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

If you certify based on income or assistance status, the Legal Aid Society might have the ability to help. Keep in mind, Legal Aid has a client waiting list and hardly ever will cases occur 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 developed these fact sheets to assist you understand your rights and duties as a renter. Click the left image for counties of 75,000 or more population and the best 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 requirements. Codes can use to residential or non-residential residential or commercial properties or both. Codes inspections can occur at any time, though they are most typical with brand-new construction or restoration. Building regulations help to ensure safety within a building. It is very important to have structures up to code. Landlords are accountable for meeting 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, many towns and rural areas do not have any standardized minimum residential or commercial property upkeep codes. Several codes departments across the state have actually embraced the International Residential or commercial property Maintenance Code. Codes inspectors might inspect electrical, pipes, gas, zoning, and other physical elements of a home. Contact your local codes department for information particular to your location.

Often Building regulations will ask if a renter has currently informed their landlord about the requirement for repair work and offered the proprietor sensible time to make the repair work. Afterward, Buiding Codes may carry out an evaluation. If there is an assessment, make certain to ask for a copy of any notes or citations. Remember that Building Codes can just visit homes where the tenant has legal right to permit their go to.

What is URLTA?

Tennessee Code Annotated § 66-28 is the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. URLTA only applies 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 securities to rental agreements consisting of obligations for upkeep by the property owner to adhere to requirements of applicable 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 promulgating rules for minimum health standards for rental housing. These rules become part of Tennessee Code Annotated § 53-5502 rearranged as § 68-111 in Chapter 1200-1-2. The rules cover basic equipment and centers, light and ventilation, temperature, and sanitation.

Can I make a formal grievance?

If a rental residential or commercial property breaks minimum health standards it might be unsuited for habitation. According to Tennessee Code Annotated § 68-111-101, renters whose lease is $200 or less weekly may file a complaint with their local structure inspector or county public health department. Complaints need to be filed in writing with your county health department and a copy must be forwarded by licensed mail to the property manager. A certifying complaint can lead to a home examination. This part of the law does not use to occupants who pay their rent monthly or for a term greater than month-to-month. For non-qualifying complaints, other building regulations or ordinances that the structure inspector is authorized to implement, might be relevant to home leased at higher rates.

What if I live in federal government assisted housing?

The federal government helps low-income households, the senior, and the disabled to manage good, safe, and hygienic housing in the personal market. Participants find their own housing, including single-family homes, townhouses, and homes. There is a yearly Housing Quality Standards (HQS) assessment treatment to guarantee that homes are tidy and safe. Renters with assisted housing, such as Section 8, must begin by talking with the workplace that issued their rental Housing Choice Voucher (HCV).

The Tennessee Housing Development Agency performs agreement administration for Section 8 residential problems in 76 counties. If the residential or commercial property owner or agent is not satisfying their obligations, TDHA may step in. For more details, call THDA at 1-800-228-THDA (8432) throughout normal service hours or visit the THDA web page anytime. Local public housing firms (PHAs) provide services in the other counties. A few 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 local U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development workplace. Many of HUD's programs have particular requirements for housing quality. If your housing is not up to standards, then HUD may step in to have the landlord make repair work as needed. 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 renters in rural areas?

Yes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a rural development program. USDA helps with some 360 or commercial properties in Tennessee. If you have a question about living in USDA-assisted rural housing you can call your rural advancement regional workplace.

Where can I find out more about healthy housing policy?

Our Healthy Places web page offers more details about the locations we live, work and play. Click here to get more information about healthy housing policies.