Renters' & Tenants' Rights

Websites and articles for renters looking for help related to landlord-tenant issues and eviction.

Learn about legal aid and pro bono representation, the difference between them, and how to find these types of free legal help.

Key terms you can expect to see in a lease or rental agreement.

Found your dream apartment? Distinguish yourself from all the other rental applicants.

Federal, state, and local laws, as well as your lease or rental agreement, can restrict or ban smoking in a rental unit.

Tips and advice on how to responsibly and smoothly take on a roommate.

How do you protect your rights and interests when your roommate moves out before your lease or rental agreement has ended?

How to get an unauthorized tenant, including a boyfriend, girlfriend, or other roommate, to move out of your rental unit.

Steps to take before and after you move out to ensure your landlord returns your security deposit.

State deadlines for itemizing and returning tenants' security deposits.

What to include in a demand letter when your landlord hasn't returned your security deposit.

Rent is legally due on the date specified in your agreement (usually the first of the month), and in the form of payment (usually check) that the landlord requires.

When and how landlords can increase rent—and how to respond to an illegal rent increase.

Rent control laws often regulate more than just the amount of rent landlords can charge.

How to get landlords to keep their end of the maintenance bargain.

Learn about mold in rental units: Your landlord's liability for mold problems, how to get rid of mold, and how to prevent mold in the first place.

What tenants should know about landlords' responsibility for bed bugs in rental properties.

Landlords can't just lock you out, even if you are behind on rent. They must get a court judgment first.

Here's what you can do to postpone your eviction, fight your eviction, or maybe stop it altogether.

Landlords in every state must follow specific rules and procedures when evicting a tenant. Most states have guidelines on what kind of compensation tenants who are illegally evicted can expect.

Federal law prohibits discrimination based on many factors, including race, religion, national origin, familial status, disability, and sex.

A person with a disability who's seeking a rental shouldn't face questions by landlords as to whether they have a disability or illness, nor a request to see medical records.

What a landlord can and cannot ask you when you're applying for a rental.

How to file and win a small claims court case against your landlord

Lawyers are expensive, but there are times when hiring one might be necessary to protect your rights as a renter.

When you've experienced illegal housing discrimination, one solution is to sue your landlord. Here's what you need to know before bringing your landlord to court.

Learn about mold in rental units: Your landlord's liability for mold problems, how to get rid of mold, and how to prevent mold in the first place.

Legal limits to landlords entering your rental

How restrictive guest policies and nosy landlord practices can be an invasion of your privacy

Learn when and how tenants may legally break a lease in Florida and how to limit liability for rent through the end of the lease term.

Learn when and how tenants may legally break a lease in New York and how to limit liability for rent through the end of the lease term.

Here’s an overview of the steps involved with filing a security deposit lawsuit in California.