Skip to content

  • Projects
  • Groups
  • Snippets
  • Help
    • Loading...
    • Help
    • Submit feedback
  • Sign in / Register
R
royalestatesdxb
  • Project
    • Project
    • Details
    • Activity
    • Cycle Analytics
  • Issues 2
    • Issues 2
    • List
    • Board
    • Labels
    • Milestones
  • Merge Requests 0
    • Merge Requests 0
  • CI / CD
    • CI / CD
    • Pipelines
    • Jobs
    • Schedules
  • Wiki
    • Wiki
  • Snippets
    • Snippets
  • Members
    • Members
  • Collapse sidebar
  • Activity
  • Create a new issue
  • Jobs
  • Issue Boards
  • Tara Lerma
  • royalestatesdxb
  • Issues
  • #2

Closed
Open
Opened Jun 16, 2025 by Tara Lerma@taralerma00597
  • Report abuse
  • New issue
Report abuse New issue

Healthy Homes - Renters


How is renting different 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 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 problem? 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 staff are not physicians or legal representatives. The information on our Healthy Homes Website does not provide medical or legal guidance. This info is not an alternative to visiting your doctor or for seeking advice from a lawyer about your specific scenario. * * *

3 Actions a Worried Renter Should Do:

1. Put everything in composing. Take photographs and videos. Save e-mails, 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 rent receipts as evidence you paid.

3. Read your lease. Whatever is written in the lease is a legal agreement. Both tenant and property manager have obligations.

It is most likely unlawful for a property owner to retaliate versus a renter who files a grievance, calls Buiding Codes, or takes legal action. Changing locks, shutting off energies, revealing up frequently, or wrongly raising rent can be retaliation.

How is renting various from own a home?

Renting is various from own a home in that the renter should count on another person to make repairs. The tenant may not have the ability to make modifications to the home without approval. A tenant has both rights and obligations. Renting can be an excellent option for lots of people to preserve 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. Bear in mind that health begins at home.

What are my obligations as an occupant?

Renters are responsible for tidiness and safety. You may rent with no formal contract, or you may have a lease agreement. The most common kind of occupant in Tennessee is a renter who signs a lease contract to pay lease each month throughout the year. Renters may be asked to provide a down payment. Lease contracts are legally binding agreements. You are responsible for following the terms of your lease. Some lease arrangements have addendums such as pet policies, pest control agreements or for reporting water damage. You are accountable for: paying your lease on time, paying any late costs, keeping the location clean and safe, not letting anyone else damage it, not breaking the law, dealing with your trash, and following your landlord's guidelines. 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 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 standard principles to preserving a healthy home.

1. Keep it Dry. - Damp homes supply a great environment for termites, roaches, rodents and molds. 2. Keep it Clean. - Clean homes help in reducing insect problems and direct exposure to contaminants. 3. Keep it Pest-Free. - Exposure to mice and cockroaches might increase asthma attacks. Improper pesticide treatments for insect invasions can aggravate health issue, considering that pesticide residues in homes can position health dangers. 4. Keep it Safe. - The bulk of children's injuries take place in the home. Falls are the most regular reason for property injuries to children, followed by injuries from things 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. Bear in mind direct exposure is frequently greater indoors. 6. Keep it Ventilated. - Studies have actually revealed increasing fresh air in a home enhances respiratory health. 7. Keep it Maintained. - Poorly-maintained homes are at threat of being unhealthy. 8. Keep it Thermally Controlled. - Houses that do not keep sufficient temperatures may put the safety of locals at increased danger from direct exposure to severe heat or cold.

If you use these principles as a guide, you can preserve a safe and healthy home. If you are having a problem maintaining any of these principles, other parts of this website will know 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 duty to repair the problem or it may be your property owner's responsibility to make repair work. Read your rental lease contract. Abide by any requirements for cleanliness or security. Report any required repair work to the landlord as they occur. Putting your concerns in writing is finest. This develops a record of your issues. Repairs to your rental home must be made in a sensible quantity of time. The amount of time may be noted in your lease.

If your property owner has actually not made repair work in an affordable quantity of time, you might require to interact more directly, such as with additional written complaints or a face-to-face meeting. If your property manager continues to overlook your concerns, you may need to pursue legal action.

Disputes in between a landlord and an occupant are civil problems. Most landlord and occupant issues are outside of 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 tenants.

What are my rights as a renter?

According to the Legal Aid Society, as a tenant you have the right to a livable place and to live quietly. Your rights as a tenant may differ depending upon which county you reside in. The Legal Aid Society has a beneficial truth sheet to assist you comprehend your rights as a renter. How to get in touch with the Legal Aid Society or the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services is noted below.

If your rental home requires an emergency situation repair to keep it healthy, such as a repair work of the heat, gas, lights, water, sewage, plumbing or a/c, you must alert your property manager right now.

If the requirement for repair in not an emergency situation, then 14 days is usually considered as an affordable quantity of time for the property owner to make repair work. Hopefully, most repairs will be made rather after a property manager is warned. Use your regular technique of reporting needs for repair such as a website, call, text message, or workplace go to. Put something into composing to document when you made the landlord knowledgeable about the need for repair work.
kayak.com
In some counties you can utilize a few of your rent money 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 kicked out without notice. The proprietor can not alter the locks or shut down your utilities to make you leave. The majority of the time, a landlord needs to go to court before evicting you. If you did something unsafe or threatening, the property manager only needs to give you 3 (3) days to move out. If you did not pay lease or broke your lease arrangement, you might be provided a thirty (30) day observe to vacate. 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 website, chatbot, and telephone to assist people who need aid with their legal concerns. If you do not have your own lawyer, this is a good site to begin.

If you qualify based upon income or help status, the Legal Aid Society may be able to help. Remember, Legal Aid has a customer waiting list and rarely will cases take place quick. 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 developed these fact 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 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 standards. Codes can apply to property or non-residential residential or commercial properties or both. Codes examinations can happen at any time, though they are most common with brand-new construction or remodelling. Building regulations help to ensure security within a building. It is essential to have buildings up to code. Landlords are accountable for fulfilling Codes.

All cities in Tennessee have their own codes departments to impose Residential or commercial property Maintenance Codes. Many big county or city governments have codes departments. Though, numerous towns and rural locations do not have any standardized minimum residential or commercial property upkeep codes. Several codes departments throughout the state have embraced the International Residential or commercial property Maintenance Code. Codes inspectors may check electrical, plumbing, gas, zoning, and other physical elements of a home. Contact your local codes department for details particular to your location.

Often Building Codes will ask if a tenant has actually already informed their proprietor about the requirement for repair and given the property owner affordable time to make the repair. Afterward, Buiding Codes may carry out an assessment. If there is an evaluation, make sure to request a copy of any notes or citations. Remember that can just go to homes where the renter 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 just applies in counties of greater than 75,000 population as of the 2010 U.S. Census. For these more populated counties, there are written requirements and protections to rental agreements consisting of obligations for upkeep by the landlord to comply with requirements of applicable building and housing codes materially impacting healthy and security, as listed in 66-28-304.( a).

What are the minimum standards for rental housing?
kayak.com
The Tennessee Department of Health is responsible for promoting guidelines for minimum health requirements for rental housing. These rules belong to Tennessee Code Annotated § 53-5502 restructured as § 68-111 in Chapter 1200-1-2. The rules cover standard equipment and facilities, light and ventilation, temperature, and sanitation.

Can I make a protest?

If a rental residential or commercial property breaches minimum health standards it might be unfit for habitation. According to Tennessee Code Annotated § 68-111-101, renters whose lease is $200 or less weekly might submit a complaint with their regional building inspector or county public health department. Complaints need to be submitted in writing with your county health department and a copy must be forwarded by licensed mail to the proprietor. A qualifying complaint can result in a home investigation. This part of the law does not use to renters who pay their rent regular monthly or for a term higher than regular monthly. For non-qualifying problems, other structure codes or ordinances that the building inspector is licensed to impose, may apply to house rented at higher rates.

What if I live in government assisted housing?

The federal government helps low-income households, the senior, and the handicapped to pay for good, safe, and hygienic housing in the personal market. Participants find their own housing, consisting of single-family homes, townhouses, and homes. There is a yearly Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection procedure to ensure that homes are tidy and safe. Renters with assisted housing, such as Section 8, ought to start by talking with the office that provided their rental Housing Choice Voucher (HCV).

The Tennessee Housing Development Agency performs agreement administration for Section 8 residential issues in 76 counties. If the residential or commercial property owner or agent is not satisfying their duties, TDHA might step in. For more information, call THDA at 1-800-228-THDA (8432) throughout typical organization hours or check out the THDA website anytime. Local public housing companies (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 receive assistance can call their local U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development workplace. A lot of HUD's programs have specific requirements for housing quality. If your housing is not up to requirements, then HUD may step in to have the property manager make repair work as essential. 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 renters 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 development regional office.

Where can I find out more about healthy housing policy?

Our Healthy Places webpage provides more information about the places we live, work and play. Click on this link to get more information about healthy housing policies.

Assignee
Assign to
None
Milestone
None
Assign milestone
Time tracking
None
Due date
None
0
Labels
None
Assign labels
  • View project labels
Reference: taralerma00597/royalestatesdxb#2