If you are a tenant renting an apartment or a room in a home, you have many different rights. These can apply to your relationship with your landlord, and even your roommates or neighbors in some cases. Various laws make sure you can live and enjoy your life without always worrying your landlord can evict you for no reason, or they can magically raise the rent without any warning.
However, if you are unaware of these rights that you have, it is impossible for you to assert them. You might not even be aware that the situation you currently find yourself in is unlawful. So with that in mind, we have created this article so you can know and better understand the variety of different rights you have as a renter.
While the precise and exact rights of a tenant can vary depending on the state and country that you live in, many of the rights you will see within this article are universal and should apply to almost all rental agreements. So without any further ado, let’s take a closer look at some of the many different rights that you as a tenant have.
Document everything
A lot of times, arguments about your rights being violated by a landlord will come down to your word vs. their word. You may feel like your various rights are being violated, but unless you can prove it, you may not have a case. That is why it is important to document everything from repair requests to email conversations you have. Even if you never get in a rights disagreement with a landlord, it is always a good idea to be somewhat prepared if things were to get sour.
Reasons a tenant can get evicted
As a renter, you have a right to feel safe and secure in your apartment. Part of this means you don’t have to worry about being randomly evicted without cause or notice. If you are abiding by the rules set out in your lease agreement and not breaking the law, there are very few reasons for you ever to be evicted. Despite this, there are a few different reasons why you could get evicted. Not paying rent (or paying it late regularly), causing damage to the apartment, constantly disturbing other tenants and other delinquent activity can lead to eviction. Reading and knowing your lease agreement front and back is the best way to ensure you know what you can and can’t be punished or evicted for.
Your right to privacy
Even though you don’t own the apartment or room you are renting, you are still entitled to have a little bit of privacy. In fact, most states say that a landlord has to give prior notice to tenants before entering their apartment. The amount of time varies from state to state but can be anywhere from 12 hours to 48 hours in most cases.
You have a right to maintenance and fixes
If you find that something in your rental unit is not working (and you haven’t broken it or damaged it), then you have a right to have that fixed for you. Your landlord needs to make sure your unit is liveable, simple as that. This applies to all the main fixes such as electrical, plumbing, heating, leaks and even pests such as cockroaches or bed bugs. In some cases, landlords may also be responsible for smaller fixes such as leaky faucets, worn out flooring or damaged wallpaper. If your landlord is not willing to fix things in your apartment, they are likely ignoring your rights.
Landlord increases rent, is this allowed?
Yes, in short, a landlord can raise the rent. However, this comes with a lot of caveats. If you have a lease, the landlord cannot increase the rent until the lease is over (unless there is a term within the lease that allows for them to do so). If you rent on a month-to-month basis, they can raise the rent after giving you the appropriate amount of notice, which is 30 days in most states. So if they try to raise the rent out of the blue, that is not allowed.
You have a right to get your security deposit back
One of the most common arguments and disagreements between tenants and landlords is about security deposits. If you treated your unit with respect and kept it clean and in good working order throughout your tenancy, you should receive your security deposit back. However, many landlords will find any reason keep all or part of your security deposit or will try to delay it, which is a clear violation of your rights. If a security deposit isn’t used for repairs, cleaning or unpaid rent, they have to give it back to you promptly after the lease expires. This is another example of why it is a great idea to document everything and have photos to make sure you can fight back if your landlord tries to deny you your right to get your security deposit back. Of course, if you actually didn’t take care of your apartment, then don’t expect to get your security deposit back.
You have a right to rent
Federal law prohibits a landlord from discriminating against anyone, no matter their race, religion, sex, sexual preferences or age. So no matter who you are or what you believe in, you have a right to have the same shot at renting an apartment that anyone else does. This doesn’t mean landlords can’t deny you an apartment for legitimate reasons. It just means that they cannot deny you housing based out of discrimination.
While this article wasn’t an exhaustive look at all the different rights you have as a renter, it should give you a good idea of what to look out for. If you are cognizant of everything we have covered within this article, there is a good chance you should have a great understanding of your rights, and when they are being breached. Without knowing the various rights you have as a renter, you run the risk of getting taken advantage of, which is never a good thing.
