How is renting various from own a home?
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 an occupant?
Fact sheets for tenants 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 an official grievance?
What if I live in government assisted housing?
Does the USDA help with tenants in rural locations?
Where can I find out more about healthy housing policy?
Additional resources

* * * Our Healthy Homes staff are not medical professionals or legal representatives. The information on our Healthy Homes Website does not supply medical or legal advice. This details is not a replacement for visiting your physician or for seeking advice from a legal representative about your particular situation. * * *

3 Actions a Concerned Renter Should Do:

1. Put everything in writing. Take photographs and videos. Save emails, 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 rent receipts as evidence you paid.

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

It is likely prohibited for a landlord to retaliate versus an occupant who submits a grievance, calls Buiding Codes, or takes legal action. Changing locks, shutting down energies, showing up frequently, or inappropriately raising rent can be retaliation.

How is renting various from own a home?

Renting is various from home ownership because the tenant should rely on someone else to make repair work. The renter may not have the ability to make changes to the home without consent. An occupant has both rights and responsibilities. Renting can be a good alternative for many individuals to maintain a healthy home environment, both inside your home and outdoors. Whether you rent a home, home, duplex, mobile home or cabin you can keep the 7 healthy homes principles. Bear in mind that health starts in your home.

What are my obligations as an occupant?

Renters are accountable for cleanliness and safety. You might rent with no formal contract, or you might have a lease contract. The most typical type of renter in Tennessee is an occupant who signs a lease agreement to pay lease every month throughout the year. Renters may be asked to supply a down payment. Lease contracts are lawfully binding agreements. You are responsible 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 lease on time, paying any late costs, keeping the location tidy and safe, not letting anybody else damage it, not breaking the law, dealing with your garbage, and following your property manager's rules. If you break your lease, then it might end up being a legal issue.

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 eight basic concepts to preserving a healthy home.

1. Keep it Dry. - Damp homes offer an excellent environment for termites, roaches, rodents and molds.
2. Keep it Clean. - Clean homes help in reducing insect invasions and direct exposure to pollutants.
3. Keep it Pest-Free. - Exposure to mice and cockroaches might increase asthma attacks. Improper pesticide treatments for pest invasions can aggravate health problems, considering that pesticide residues in homes can present health dangers.
4. Keep it Safe. - Most of kids's injuries occur in the home. Falls are the most regular cause of property injuries to kids, followed by injuries from things in the home, burns, and poisonings.
5. Keep it Contaminant-Free. - Avoid direct exposure to lead, radon, carbon monoxide gas, pesticides, asbestos and ecological tobacco smoke. Remember exposure is frequently higher indoors.
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 risk of being unhealthy.
8. Keep it Thermally Controlled. - Houses that do not preserve sufficient temperatures might place the safety of residents at increased danger from direct exposure to severe heat or cold.

If you use these principles as a guide, you can keep a safe and healthy home. If you are having a problem maintaining any of these principles, other parts of this site will know 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 may be your duty to fix the issue or it may be your proprietor's duty to make repair work. Read your rental lease contract. Adhere to any requirements for cleanliness or safety. Report any required repairs to the proprietor as they develop. Putting your issues in writing is best. This develops a record of your concerns. Repairs to your rental home need to be made in a sensible amount of time. The quantity of time might be noted in your lease.

If your property manager has not made repair work in a reasonable amount of time, you might require to communicate more straight, such as with extra written complaints or an in person conference. If your proprietor continues to neglect your issues, you may need to pursue legal action.

Disputes between a landlord and an occupant are civil issues. Most landlord and tenant concerns are outside of 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 renters.

What are my rights as a tenant?

According to the Legal Aid Society, as a renter you can a habitable location and to live quietly. Your rights as a renter might differ depending upon which county you reside in. The Legal Aid Society has a beneficial reality sheet to help 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 repair to keep it healthy, such as a repair work of the heat, gas, lights, water, sewage, pipes or a/c, you must alert your property owner right now.

If the requirement for repair in not an emergency situation, then 2 week is typically thought about as an affordable amount of time for the property owner to make repairs. Hopefully, most repair work will be made rather after a landlord is made mindful. Use your regular technique of reporting requirements for repair work such as a site, telephone call, text, or office see. Put something into writing to document when you made the proprietor knowledgeable about the requirement for repair.

In some counties you can use some of your rent money to make these immediate repair work. If the problem was your fault, you may need to help pay for the repair work.

You can not be required out of your rental home. You can not be forced out without notification. The proprietor can not alter the locks or turned off your energies to make you leave. The majority of the time, a proprietor requires to go to court before evicting you. If you did something hazardous or threatening, the proprietor just requires to provide you 3 (3) days to leave. If you did not pay rent or broke your lease agreement, you may be given a thirty (30) day discover to vacate. If you have legal questions about housing, you need to seek advice from a lawyer or legal services.

The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Serices has a HELP4TN website, chatbot, and telephone to help people who need aid with their legal issues. If you do not have your own lawyer, this is a good site to begin.

If you qualify based upon income or assistance status, the Legal Aid Society may be able to assist. Keep in mind, Legal Aid has a customer waiting list and rarely will cases take place 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 produced these truth 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 apply to domestic or non-residential residential or commercial properties or both. Codes assessments can occur at any time, though they are most typical with new construction or remodelling. Building regulations help to make sure safety within a structure. It is necessary to have structures up to code. Landlords are accountable for satisfying Codes.

All cosmopolitan areas in Tennessee have their own codes departments to enforce Residential or commercial property Maintenance Codes. Many large county or local government have codes departments. Though, many villages and rural locations 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 might examine electrical, pipes, gas, zoning, and other physical aspects of a home. Contact your local codes department for info specific to your area.

Often Building regulations will ask if a tenant has actually currently notified their property owner about the requirement for repair and provided the proprietor affordable time to make the repair. Afterward, Buiding Codes might perform an evaluation. If there is an assessment, make certain to ask for a copy of any notes or citations. Remember that Building regulations can just visit homes where the tenant has legal right to enable their check out.

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 protections to rental agreements including obligations for maintenance by the property owner to comply with requirements of relevant building and housing codes materially affecting 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 guidelines for minimum health standards for rental housing. These rules become part of Tennessee Code Annotated § 53-5502 reorganized as § 68-111 in Chapter 1200-1-2. The guidelines cover basic equipment and facilities, light and ventilation, temperature, and sanitation.

Can I make a formal grievance?

If a rental residential or commercial property violates minimum health standards it might be unsuited for habitation. According to Tennessee Code Annotated § 68-111-101, occupants whose lease is $200 or less weekly may submit a grievance 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 need to be forwarded by licensed mail to the proprietor. A certifying grievance can result in a home investigation. This part of the law does not use to occupants who pay their lease month-to-month or for a term higher than month-to-month. For non-qualifying complaints, other building codes or ordinances that the building inspector is authorized to enforce, might apply to home leased at greater rates.

What if I reside in government assisted housing?

The federal government helps low-income families, the senior, and the disabled to pay for decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the personal market. Participants discover their own housing, consisting of single-family homes, townhouses, and houses. There is a yearly Housing Quality Standards (HQS) assessment treatment to ensure that homes are clean and safe. Renters with assisted housing, such as Section 8, need to begin by talking with the office 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 representative is not satisfying their responsibilities, TDHA might step in. For more information, call THDA at 1-800-228-THDA (8432) during normal service hours or check out the THDA web page anytime. Local public housing companies (PHAs) offer services in the other counties. Some of the local offices are the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency, Murfreesboro Housing Authority, Memphis Housing Authority, and Knox County Housing Authority.

Renters who receive assistance can contact their local U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development office. Many 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 owner make repair work as necessary. 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 occupants in backwoods?

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 living 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 provides more information about the locations we live, work and play. Click on this link to read more about healthy housing policies.