Tenant & Housing Rights
Know your rights as a renter. Plain-English guides to evictions, repairs and habitability, security deposits, landlord harassment, breaking a lease, and what to do when a landlord crosses the legal line — plus guidance for landlords and owners.
Browse by situation
749 renter & landlord guides across 13 topics.
Evictions
Facing an eviction notice, or unsure whether one is even legal? Understand the eviction process step by step — notice types, your right to fight it in court, the defenses that work, and why a landlord can almost never remove you without a judge and a sheriff.
143 guides →Harassment, Retaliation & Illegal Lockouts
Lockouts, utility shutoffs, threats, and retaliation for complaining are illegal in nearly every state — and often come with statutory damages.
77 guides →Repairs & Habitability
Your landlord has a legal duty to keep your home livable.
85 guides →Leases & Breaking a Lease
Need to get out of a lease early, or unsure what your lease really obligates you to? Understand early termination, the landlord’s duty to mitigate, protected break reasons (military, domestic violence, uninhabitable units), fees, and renewals.
77 guides →Squatters & Trespassers
Someone is living in your property without the right to be there — now what? Learn the difference between a squatter, a trespasser, and a holdover tenant, why police often won’t help, and the legal process to remove them.
65 guides →Rent, Late Fees & Increases
Can your landlord raise the rent that much, charge that fee, or refuse your payment? Understand rent increases, rent control, late fees, application and other charges, and what to do when a rent dispute escalates.
140 guides →Roommates & Cohabitants
Roommate trouble has its own rules.
15 guides →Landlord Entry & Privacy
Your landlord owns the building — but you have the right to privacy in your home.
24 guides →Security Deposits
Did your landlord keep your deposit, or charge you for normal wear and tear? Learn the deadlines and itemization rules landlords must follow, what they can legally deduct, and how to get your money back — including suing in small claims.
71 guides →For Landlords
Guidance for landlords and property owners.
14 guides →Homeowners, HOA & Foreclosure
Rights for homeowners and people facing foreclosure or HOA disputes — what an HOA can and can’t enforce, your protections in foreclosure, tenants’ rights after a foreclosure sale, and common neighbor-and-property conflicts.
8 guides →Tenant Rights Basics
New to renting or just want the fundamentals? Start here for the core tenant protections every renter should know — your lease, the implied warranty of habitability, fair housing, and how landlord-tenant law generally works.
12 guides →Mobile Home & Manufactured Park Law
Living in a mobile or manufactured-home park is its own legal world: you usually own the home but rent the lot, under a separate state law.
18 guides →Latest tenant-rights guides
- Alabama Security Deposit Law: Return Deadline, Limits, and How to Get It Back
Alabama gives landlords 35 days to return a security deposit and caps most deposits at one month's rent. Learn deductions, penalties, and how to sue.
- My Tenant Won't Move Out: A Landlord's Step-by-Step Guide to Legally Removing Them
Your tenant won't move out? Here's the legal, step-by-step way to remove them, why self-help eviction is illegal, and when to call a lawyer.
- Arkansas Eviction Process & Timeline: Steps, Notices, and How Long It Takes
How Arkansas eviction works: a 3-day notice to vacate, an unlawful detainer suit in Circuit Court, the writ of possession, sheriff lockout, and timeline.
- Landlord Retaliation and Utility Shutoffs in Texas: What's Legal
Can a landlord turn off electricity in Texas or change your locks? Learn what counts as illegal landlord retaliation, lockouts, and utility shutoffs under Texas law.
- Can a Landlord Enter When You're Not Home or Without You Present?
Can a landlord enter when you are not home or without you present? Usually yes with proper notice and a lawful reason, but not without notice. Here is how it works.
- Rent Increase Notice in California: 30, 60, or 90 Days?
How much notice must a California landlord give to raise your rent? Learn the 30-day and 90-day rules, the state rent cap, and what counts as legal.