YOUR RIGHTS AS A RENTER

brickhse · (#1 (**permalink**))

I was reading the following article on MSN and thought that it might be interesting to some

1. The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to deny housing to a tenant on the grounds of race, color, sex, religion, disability, family status, or national origin.
2. Residential rental units should be habitable and in compliance with housing and health codesmeaning they should be structurally safe, sanitary, weatherproofed, and include adequate water, electricity, and heat.
3. Many states limit the amount landlords can charge for security deposits. (See http://www.nolo.com/encyclopedia/articles/lt/lt1.html to find out if yours is one of them.)
4. A landlord should make necessary repairs and perform maintenance tasks in a timely fashion, or include a provision in the lease stating that tenants can order repairs and deduct the cost from rent.
5. A landlord must give prior notice (typically 24 hours) before entering your premises and can normally only do so to make repairs or in case of an emergency.
6. Illegal provisions in a rental agreement (provisions counter to state law) are usually not enforceable in court.
7. If a landlord has violated important terms related to health, safety, or necessary repairs, you might have a legal right to break your lease.
8. If you have to break a long-term lease, in most states landlords are required to search for a new tenant as soon as possible rather than charging the tenant for the full duration of the lease.
9. Damage or security deposits are not deductible for "normal wear and tear." Some states require that a landlord give an itemized report of any deductions.
10. Most states require landlords to return refundable portions of a security deposit within 14 to 30 days after the tenant has vacated the premises, even in the case of eviction.
11. Landlords usually can't legally seize a tenant's property for nonpayment of rent or any other reason, except in the case of abandonment as defined by law.
12. Landlords are legally prohibited from evicting tenants as retaliation for action a tenant takes related to a perceived landlord violation.
13. A landlord cannot legally change the locks, shut off (or cause to have shut off) your utilities, or evict you without notice; eviction requires a court order.
14. If a landlord makes life so miserable for you that it forces you to move, it may be considered "constructive eviction," which is usually grounds for legal action.
15. In many states, it's illegal for a lease to stipulate that the tenant is responsible for the landlord's attorney fees in case of a court dispute

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Bryo · (#2 (**permalink**))

Most renters are ignorant of their rights, thats why landlord's get away with stuff like taking down the front door for "repairs" or removing the commode for "desanitizing" from the apartment/hse for a few days when tenants refuse to pay on time.

http://www.fortune.com/images/magazi...ohnson_bet.jpg
"It's all pretty simple and straightforward"-Bob Johnson.

Nyako ber · (#3 (**permalink**))

Most renters are ignorant of their rights, thats why landlord's get away with stuff like taking down the front door for "repairs" or removing the commode for "desanitizing" from the apartment/hse for a few days when tenants refuse to pay on time.<<<<

@Bryo:

LOL... Which country is this happening. Enyewe that is a violation of human rights..... :7 I hope you are exaggerating. :)

isso · (#4 (**permalink**))

LOL! @Bryo....

Kwani y'all have animals for your landlords....

BEER: Helping ugly people have sex since 1864!

brickhse · (#5 (**permalink**))

I wish i knew some of the info in here when i was living in my previous apts .someone broke into my apt twice.I suspected that it was the maintenance guy but how do you prove this things?..the guy came into the house two days before the robberies to fix the fridge, and after casing the place (i guess) came back and took the vcr and dvd. the fool even took one of my pillow cases and used it as a sack to beba the items . the worst part of it all is that he went to the same fridge, made a sandwich then potead.
i called the police and the apt complex and the manager did not return my call. the second one occured a week later. the thief comes back, takes the other pillow case from the closet (since i took it off the pillow) and took the remaining small stuff,,,alarm clocks, wall hangings ati this thief went thru my drawer feeling throug h my panties WTF????...anyway this time i was pissed ...i went straight to the office (after the cops had left) and blasted that wench who threatened to call the police on me ati i am being unruly...i obliged her by calling the cops. they came over and claim that they had already spoke to every one including the so called suspect. .....i went back and moved out the same day.....what kills me is that i had to fight for my deposit from these fools and did not even get the full amount ....( i was only there for a month)

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Nyako ber · (#6 (**permalink**))

@Brickhse:

Pole sana for the violations that you encountered with this apartment complex. I hope the case was resolved and the perpetrator was persecuted to the fullest extent that the law can allow. There are two main steps that every renter out there should take:

1. Know the location and contact information of your Landlord Tenant Affairs office. In Maryland its located in Rockville.
2. Get renters insurance for about $50.00 a year, which includes your possessions in the house and car. It is important to have a current inventory of your assets locked away in a safe deposit box. People always think that property insurance is only available to homeowners and this is not the case.

Remember, Knowledge is Power!

Bryo · (#7 (**permalink**))

@brickhse
Unfortunate incident..poor you...I can imagine how bad an experience that must have been

@ NB & Isso
I part-timed for a minute in a real estate management company a while back, so I've seen in happen..especially since the company agents were highly educated and of the caucasian persuasion and most of the tenants were of the minimum wage urban persuasion. I couldn't help but chuckle as the dude carried the front door away..

http://www.fortune.com/images/magazi...ohnson_bet.jpg
"It's all pretty simple and straightforward"-Bob Johnson.