Section 8: Tenant Information

Tenant Tips for Successful Renting

Be prepared when you go to look at a rental unit.

• Know what type of housing you need, as the number of bedrooms or the distance to public transportation.
• Be prepared to fill out a rental application at the time of the visit. It makes a positive impression.
• Bring a list of landlord, employer, and personal references including their names, addresses, and phone numbers.
  

Read your lease before you sign it.

• The lease will specify the rules for occupancy.
• If you have a pet, check on any special rules or deposits that may apply.
  

Keep good records.

• Save copies of your lease and all other papers from your landlord.
• Keep copies of any letters to your landlord. It may later help in a dispute.
• If a landlord agrees to something orally, send a letter confirming the agreement.
• Make sure the condition of the unit is acceptable to you before you move in.
• Keep a record of what the unit looks like when you move in. Pictures are best.
• Use renters' insurance.
• Protect your personal property from fire, break-in, water, or some other loss or damage.
• The landlord's insurance company will not pay for your loss.
• Know your privacy rights.
• You have rights to privacy in your rented home, but not complete privacy.
• Leases should state what notice will be given by the landlord for inspections or routine maintenance work. Usually this would be a 24-hour notice before entering.
• If the landlord has a reason to think an emergency exists, such as a broken pipe or a sounding fire alarm, then 24-hour notice is not necessary.
• You are entitled to a habitable unit.
• Talk to your landlord first if there is a problem.
• If the landlord refuses to maintain the property to HUD's Housing Quality Standards, then call GMHA and request a Special Inspection.
• If problems still exist with the property, ask the Inspector about other options.
• If you are being evicted, determine the best thing to do.
• An eviction can be costly to you in many ways.
• Check your written records to see if you can fight an eviction.
• If you can not prove your case, you may loose. You would then have to pay court cost and fees, and you would have an eviction on your record.
• If you are evicted while on Section 8, public housing, or any other Federally-subsidized unit, you would also be banned from getting Federal housing assistance for three years.