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How is leasing different from own a home? What are my responsibilities as a renter? 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 tenant? Fact sheets for occupants and renters throughout 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 help with renters in backwoods? Where can I find out more about healthy housing policy? Additional resources

* * * Our Healthy Homes staff are not physicians or attorneys. The information on our Healthy Homes Website does not supply medical or legal advice. This info is not a replacement for visiting your doctor or for speaking with a lawyer about your particular scenario. * * *

3 Actions a Concerned Renter Should Do:

1. Put whatever in composing. Take photographs and videos. Save emails, texts, letters, and voicemails. Write a calendar of occasions.

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

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

It is likely prohibited for a property owner to strike back against an who files a problem, calls Buiding Codes, or takes legal action. Changing locks, shutting down energies, appearing typically, or inappropriately raising rent can be retaliation.

How is renting various from home ownership?

Renting is different from own a home because the occupant need to depend on another person to make repairs. The renter might not have the ability to make modifications to the home without consent. A tenant has both rights and duties. Renting can be a great alternative for lots of people to maintain a healthy home environment, both inside and outdoors. Whether you lease a house, house, duplex, mobile home or cabin you can keep the seven healthy homes principles. Remember that great health begins in your home.

What are my obligations as an occupant?

Renters are responsible for tidiness and safety. You might lease with no formal agreement, or you may have a lease contract. The most common type of occupant in Tennessee is an occupant who signs a lease arrangement to pay rent monthly throughout the year. Renters might be asked to provide a security deposit. Lease agreements are legally binding agreements. You are accountable for following the terms of your lease. Some lease agreements have addendums such as pet policies, insect control contracts 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, getting rid of your garbage, and following your property manager's rules. If you break your lease, then it might 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 basic principles to maintaining a healthy home.

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

1. Keep it Clean. - Clean homes assist lower bug infestations and exposure to pollutants.
2. Keep it Pest-Free. - Exposure to mice and cockroaches may increase asthma attacks. Improper pesticide treatments for insect infestations can intensify health issue, given that pesticide residues in homes can present health dangers.
3. Keep it Safe. - Most of kids's injuries happen in the home. Falls are the most frequent cause of property injuries to children, followed by injuries from objects in the home, burns, and poisonings.
4. Keep it Contaminant-Free. - Avoid exposure to lead, radon, carbon monoxide gas, pesticides, asbestos and ecological tobacco smoke. Bear in mind exposure is often higher indoors.
5. Keep it Ventilated. - Studies have revealed increasing fresh air in a home improves respiratory health.
6. Keep it Maintained. - Poorly-maintained homes are at risk of being unhealthy.
7. Keep it Thermally Controlled. - Houses that do not preserve appropriate temperatures might place the security of residents at increased risk from exposure to extreme heat or cold.
   
   If you utilize these principles as a guide, you can preserve a safe and healthy home. If you are having a problem preserving 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 responsibility to repair the issue or it might be your property manager's obligation to make repairs. Read your rental lease arrangement. Abide by any requirements for cleanliness or security. Report any required repairs to the landlord as they occur. Putting your issues in writing is best. This produces a record of your concerns. Repairs to your rental home ought to be made in an affordable 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 need to interact more straight, such as with additional written grievances or an in person meeting. If your property owner continues to neglect your issues, you may need to pursue legal action.
   
   Disputes between a landlord and a renter are civil concerns. 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 translating the law. There are some programs that support occupants.
   
   What are my rights as an occupant?
   
   According to the Legal Aid Society, as a tenant you can a habitable place and to live quietly. Your rights as a tenant might vary depending upon which county you live in. The Legal Aid Society has a helpful truth sheet to assist you understand your rights as an occupant. 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, pipes or cooling, you must signal your proprietor immediately.
   
   If the requirement for repair in not an emergency, then 14 days is generally thought about as an affordable quantity of time for the property manager to make repair work. Hopefully, most repair work will be made much sooner after a landlord is warned. Use your routine technique of reporting requirements for repair work such as a site, telephone call, text, or office see. Put something into composing to document when you made the landlord aware of the requirement for repair work.
   
   In some counties you can use some of your lease cash to make these instant repairs. If the issue was your fault, you may have to help spend for the repair work.
   
   You can not be dislodged of your rental home. You can not be forced out without notice. The property owner can not change the locks or turned off your energies to make you leave. Most of the time, a property manager needs to go to court before evicting you. If you did something unsafe or threatening, the proprietor just requires to provide you three (3) days to move out. If you did not pay lease or broke your lease contract, you may be provided a thirty (30) day discover to move out. If you have legal questions about housing, you should talk to an attorney or legal services.
   
   The Tennessee Alliance for Legal Serices has a HELP4TN site, chatbot, and telephone to assist individuals who need assist with their legal issues. If you do not have your own legal representative, this is a good site to begin.
   
   If you certify based on earnings or help status, the Legal Aid Society may have the ability to assist. Remember, Legal Aid has a customer waiting list and rarely will cases happen fast. Contact the office 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 comprehend your rights and tasks as an occupant. 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 requirements. Codes can use to residential or non-residential residential or commercial properties or both. Codes inspections can happen at any time, though they are most typical with new building and construction or remodelling. Building regulations help to make sure safety within a structure. It is very important to have structures up to code. Landlords are accountable for satisfying Codes.
   
   All metropolitan areas in Tennessee have their own codes departments to implement Residential or commercial property Maintenance Codes. Many big county or local government have codes departments. Though, many little towns and rural areas do not have any standardized minimum residential or commercial property maintenance codes. Several codes departments across the state have actually 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 local codes department for information specific to your place.
   
   Often Building regulations will ask if a renter has actually already informed their proprietor about the requirement for repair and given the landlord affordable time to make the repair work. Afterward, Buiding Codes might perform an evaluation. If there is an assessment, make sure to request a copy of any notes or citations. Bear in mind that Building regulations can only check out homes where the tenant has legal right to allow their check out.
   
   What is URLTA?
   
   Tennessee Code Annotated § 66-28 is the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act. URLTA just 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 defenses to rental arrangements consisting of obligations for upkeep by the proprietor to abide by requirements of applicable building and housing codes materially affecting healthy and safety, as listed in 66-28-304.( a).
   
   What are the minimum requirements for rental housing?
   
   The Tennessee Department of Health is accountable for promulgating guidelines for minimum health standards for rental housing. These guidelines are part of Tennessee Code Annotated § 53-5502 rearranged as § 68-111 in Chapter 1200-1-2. The rules cover fundamental devices and facilities, light and ventilation, temperature, and sanitation.
   
   Can I make an official complaint?
   
   If a rental residential or commercial property violates minimum health standards it might be unfit for habitation. According to Tennessee Code Annotated § 68-111-101, renters whose lease is $200 or less each week may file a grievance with their regional building inspector or county public health department. Complaints require to be submitted in writing with your county health department and a copy need to be forwarded by certified mail to the property owner. A qualifying grievance can lead to a home examination. 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 ordinances that the building inspector is authorized to impose, might be applicable to house rented at greater rates.
   
   What if I reside in government assisted housing?
   
   The federal government helps low-income families, the senior, and the handicapped to pay for decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the personal market. Participants find their own housing, consisting of single-family homes, townhouses, and houses. There is a yearly Housing Quality Standards (HQS) assessment treatment to make sure that homes are tidy and safe. Renters with assisted housing, such as Section 8, should begin by talking with the workplace that issued 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 intervene. To find out more, call THDA at 1-800-228-THDA (8432) throughout typical service hours or go to the THDA webpage anytime. Local public housing companies (PHAs) supply 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 support can contact their local 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 intervene to have the property manager make repairs 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 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 concern about residing in USDA-assisted rural housing you can call your rural advancement regional office.
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   Where can I find out more about healthy housing policy?
   
   Our Healthy Places website offers more information about the places we live, work and play. Click on this link to find out more about healthy housing policies.