Renter's Rights
Know Your Rights
Tenant rights are, for the most part, set by state
law, so you should check for the specific laws that affect tenants in your
state. The following is information on some fairly common tenants' rights that
may or may not be applicable to your state.
Your Responsibilities
Before we talk about what the landlord is responsible for, let's take a look
at your responsibilities:
- Keep the apartment clean.
- Put out garbage in proper containers.
- Use electrical and plumbing fixtures properly.
- Follow local housing, health and safety rules.
- Do not damage the landlord's property or disturb neighbors.
- Make sure guests do not destroy the landlord's property or disturb
other residents.
- Use appliances with care.
- Notify the landlord when repairs are needed.
Landlord's Responsibilities
Renting is a two-way street. Since you are required to keep up your end of
the bargain, the landlord has certain responsibilities, as well:
- Obey all health and safety laws and regulations.
- Make all repairs needed to maintain the property in good condition.
- Keep all common areas safe, clean and in good repair.
- Maintain all electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning
fixtures and applications that the landlord provides or is required to
provide.
- Provide and maintain garbage cans and provide for trash removal
where there are four or more units in the building.
- Supply running water and enough hot water and heat at all times,
unless there are separate heating or hot water units for each dwelling
unit and the utility fees for the heating and hot water are paid
directly by the tenant to a public utility company.
- Give at least 24 hours notice to a tenant before trying to enter his
or her apartment and enter only at reasonable times unless there is an
emergency.
- Do not abuse the right to enter.
Prohibited Actions
There are certain actions your landlord is not allowed to take, no matter
what the situation. A landlord cannot shut off utilities, take anything that
belongs to a tenant, change the locks or otherwise lock a tenant out of his or
her apartment to force the tenant to pay rent or leave the apartment. A landlord
also cannot raise the rent or threaten to evict a tenant for taking legal action
against the landlord. A landlord is not permitted to abuse the right to enter
the apartment, meaning that the landlord is not allowed to harass a tenant with
repeated visits.