What are my rights when renting a room in a house?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What are my rights when renting a room in a house?
What landlord/tenant laws apply to me and how am I protected?
Asked on January 2, 2013 under Real Estate Law, Connecticut
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
The same laws apply to you as apply to any other tenant (e.g. someone renting an apartment or a house):
1) The landlord may only evict you for good cause; typically nonpayment or habitual late payment of rent; recklessly or deliberately damaging his/her property; disturbing the rights of other residents to "peaceful enjoyment"; material (important) violations of the lease; or when your tenancy expires.
2) If you have a written lease for a definite period of time (e.g. a one-year lease), other than as above, you can't be evicted until the lease ends; you also can't have your rent increased, or the terms of your tenancy changed, until the current lease ends and a new one starts. If you are a month to month tenant (which includes if there is no written lease), you may be given 30 days notice terminating your tenancy either entirely, or terminating it under the current terms/rent and offering new terms/rent, which you'd have to accept or leave.
3) Your rental unit must be "fit for its intended purpose" (habitable) and the landlord can't prevent you from enjoying or using it.
4) You must pay all costs or fees you agreed to pay; you are entitled to all facilities, space, services, etc. the landlord agreed to provide.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.