If you are now or have ever had to rent a place to live instead of owning for whatever reason, then you know that usually you are subject to the rules of the owner to a certain extent. You may not be allowed to have children or pets and if you do you could be subject to have to pay a larger or separate deposit for them. You may or may not be allowed to make changes to the property such as painting walls or even planting anything outside. When you damage anything while you live there it will either be your responsibility to pay to have it fixed or you will have to forfeit your security deposit. You could even be taken to court if the damage is severe enough.
What about the rights that a renter might have? Well, they can vary from state to state. The owner should also have a certain responsibility that they should have to fulfill too. Many times you will get a lease or agreement from the owner that entails all the things you are liable for, but it might not include anything that owner will have to be responsible or liable for. A good example of this would be mold infestation.
There is a lot of information going around about mold and concern about all the adverse affects that it can have on the health of humans and even pets. When was the last time you rented a house or an apartment and there was a clause in the agreement or lease that said the owner would be responsible for your medical bills or temporary housing if mold was found in the residence you rented from them? Sometimes the papers might say that the owner will be responsible for certain upkeep of the property such plumbing or yard maintenance, but not anything like mold.
This is changing in some states and owners are being held accountable if their rented residence has mold due to issues like leaking plumbing or roof problems. It still might be hard to get them to pay for any medical bills that stem from the mold because it might be hard and expensive for you to prove. If you are renting a place from someone and it has mold, the owner should fix the problem immediately.
If they hesitate or refuse to have the mold remedied, you contact your local housing authority to see what can be done. If it proves to be too much trouble, maybe just moving would be a good idea. You do not want to rent from someone who has so little consideration for you and your family anyway, but make sure there is a record of your complaint somewhere so that the next tenants might be aware of the problem before they move in.
Aydan Corkern is a writer of many topics, visit some of her sites, like Water Damage Restoration and Chicago Water Damage Restoration.
Article Source: Do Renters Have Rights Concerning A Moldy Residence
