--- title: How Tenants’ Rights Ensure that Renters are Always Protected description: If you're thinking about moving into an apartment, be aware of these important tenants' rights that will keep you protected from any problems involving your property or landlord. image: https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/hubfs/Blog_Images/Tenants%E2%80%99%20Rights1.jpg --- - [Pay Rent](https://sdnyrealty.com/pay-rent/) - [Forms](https://sdnyrealty.com/forms/) -   [![S&D Commercial Real Estate Agency](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/hs-fs/hubfs/S__D_Real_Estate_January2019/images/sd-original-logo_300px.png?width=300&height=194&name=sd-original-logo_300px.png "S&D Commercial Real Estate Agency")](https://sdnyrealty.com/) - [About](https://sdnyrealty.com/long-island-commercial-real-estate-firm/) - [Agents](https://sdnyrealty.com/long-island-real-estate-agents/) - [Listings](https://sdnyrealty.com/property-listings/) - [Property Management](https://sdnyrealty.com/property-management-company/) - [Resources](https://sdnyrealty.com/real-estate-resources/) - [Neighborhood Guide](https://sdnyrealty.com/neighborhood-guide/) - [Long Island](https://sdnyrealty.com/long-island-commercial-real-estate/) - [Nassau County](https://sdnyrealty.com/nassau-county-commercial-real-estate/) - [Bethpage](https://sdnyrealty.com/bethpage-commercial-real-estate/) - [Farmingdale](https://sdnyrealty.com/farmingdale-commercial-real-estate/) - [Franklin Square](https://sdnyrealty.com/franklin-square-commercial-real-estate/) - [Garden City](https://sdnyrealty.com/garden-city-commercial-real-estate/) - [Glen Cove](https://sdnyrealty.com/glen-cove-commercial-real-estate/) - [Hempstead](https://sdnyrealty.com/hempstead-commercial-real-estate/) - [Hicksville](https://sdnyrealty.com/hicksville-commercial-real-estate/) - [Long Beach](https://sdnyrealty.com/long-beach-commercial-real-estate/) - [Mineola](https://sdnyrealty.com/mineola-commercial-real-estate/) - [Rockville Centre](https://sdnyrealty.com/rockville-centre-commercial-real-estate/) - [Suffolk County](https://sdnyrealty.com/suffolk-county-commercial-real-estate/) - [Babylon](https://sdnyrealty.com/suffolk-county-commercial-real-estate/babylon-commercial-real-estate/) - [Brookhaven](https://sdnyrealty.com/brookhaven-commercial-real-estate/) - [Hauppauge](https://sdnyrealty.com/hauppauge-commercial-real-estate/) - [Huntington](https://sdnyrealty.com/huntington-commercial-real-estate/) - [Islip](https://sdnyrealty.com/islip-commercial-real-estate/) - [Melville](https://sdnyrealty.com/melville-commercial-real-estate/) - [Riverhead](https://sdnyrealty.com/riverhead-commercial-real-estate/) - [Smithtown](https://sdnyrealty.com/smithtown-commercial-real-estate/) - [Southampton](https://sdnyrealty.com/southampton-commercial-real-estate/) - [Consulting Services](https://sdnyrealty.com/consulting-services/) - [Property Appraisal Services](https://sdnyrealty.com/property-appraisal/) - [Zoning Regulations](https://sdnyrealty.com/zoning-regulations/) - [Forms](https://sdnyrealty.com/forms/) - [Veterans & Military Housing](https://sdnyrealty.com/veterans-military-housing/) - [Join our Program](https://sdnyrealty.com/veterans-military-housing/#apply-now) - [Forms & Applications](https://sdnyrealty.com/forms/) - [Pay Rent](https://sdnyrealty.com/pay-rent/) - [Blog](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog) - [Contact](https://sdnyrealty.com/contact/) # How Tenants’ Rights Ensure that Renters are Always Protected - September 19, 2018 - [lease agreement](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/topic/lease-agreement), [Renting](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/topic/renting), [landlord](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/topic/landlord), [tenants' rights](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/topic/tenants-rights) - 0 ![How Tenants’ Rights Ensure that Renters are Always Protected](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/hubfs/Blog_Images/Tenants%E2%80%99%20Rights1.jpg) When you sign a lease, the two main parties are you and [the landlord](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/multifamily-home), with each assigned specific rights and responsibilities. However, no matter where you go or what kind of properties you pursue, tenants’ rights are universal. So, if you’re looking to sign a lease anytime soon, here are some general rules, regulations and protections that you should be aware of. ## The Ins and Outs of Tenants’ Rights ### A Livable Home This should probably go without saying, but the right to a habitable home is one of the most essential tenants’ rights out there. After all, if you’re renting a property, shouldn’t you be able to live in it without any issues? This tenants’ right ensures that a home or apartment is reasonably fit to be lived in. Whether it’s a faulty heater, shoddy wiring, a lack of running water or a whole host of other issues, a landlord is responsible for taking care of any problems that cause a property to be uninhabitable. In fact, [New York](https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/tenants_rights.pdf) even prohibits leases where tenants “waive” this right. ![Tenants’ Rights](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Images/Tenants%E2%80%99%20Rights2.jpg?width=320&name=Tenants%E2%80%99%20Rights2.jpg) ### Privacy Just because a landlord owns the building that you reside in, that doesn’t give them the right to explore or enter your property whenever they want. Tenants’ rights guarantee a renter’s complete right to privacy in the home. There are going to be instances where the landlord may need to enter your [apartment](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/apartment-search) for maintenance or repairs, but they will normally need to notify you ahead of time. ![Tenants’ Rights](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Images/Tenants%E2%80%99%20Rights3.jpg?width=320&name=Tenants%E2%80%99%20Rights3.jpg) ### Anti-Discrimination It doesn’t matter whether you are currently looking for or already rent a property, landlords are never allowed to discriminate against you. According to the [Fair Housing Act](https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/online-complaint), which was passed in 1968 along with the Civil Rights Act, landlords are not allowed to discriminate based on: - Race - Disability - Religion - National Origin - Familial status - Gender These protections even extend to advertisements that explicitly exclude these characteristics. Furthermore, some states even extend these protections to include discrimination against people’s sexuality. ![Tenants’ Rights](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Images/Tenants%E2%80%99%20Rights.jpg?width=320&name=Tenants%E2%80%99%20Rights.jpg) ### Security Deposit When signing a [lease agreement](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/questions-to-ask-before-signing-an-apartment-lease), the vast majority of landlords will require all incoming renters to pay a security deposit to be returned back at the end of their lease. However, did you know that there are certain tenants’ rights that dictate the cost of a security deposit, and how soon it must be returned after the conclusion of a lease term? Although they are different across most states, they are put in place to protect you. Just remember, landlords do actually have the right to ask renters for a larger deposit if they have a pet or something else that is deemed a liability. If you’re looking to rent a property anytime soon, you can best believe that these tenants’ rights will be around to protect you in the case of an incident! --- [![View Available Listings Here](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/432922/9ad65918-b9a7-437a-8872-09c1d59299de.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/432922/9ad65918-b9a7-437a-8872-09c1d59299de) ### Tags: - [lease agreement](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/topic/lease-agreement) - [Renting](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/topic/renting) - [landlord](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/topic/landlord) - [tenants' rights](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/topic/tenants-rights) ### [Previous post](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/shared-office-space) #### [A Shared Office Space for Business: The Top Pros and Cons](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/shared-office-space) ### [Next post](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/home-appraisal) #### [How a Home Appraisal Determines Residential Property Value](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/home-appraisal) ### Related posts [![Why Residential Property Management is Absolutely Essential](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Images/Residential%20Property%20Management.jpg?width=768&name=Residential%20Property%20Management.jpg)](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/residential-property-management) - August 22, 2018 - [residential real estate](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/topic/residential-real-estate), [Property Management](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/topic/property-management), [landlord](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/topic/landlord) ### Why Residential Property Management is Absolutely Essential Owning an investment property has its fair share of advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, it’s an incredible opportunity to create an additional... [Continue reading](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/residential-property-management) [![How to Start your Apartment Search Off on the Right Foot](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog_Images/Apartment%20Search.jpg?width=768&name=Apartment%20Search.jpg)](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/apartment-search) - August 15, 2018 - [Renting](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/topic/renting), [Leasing Apartments](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/topic/leasing-apartments), [property search](https://blog.sdnyrealty.com/blog/topic/property-search) ### How to Start your Apartment Search Off on the Right Foot If you’ve ever spent time searching for a new place to live, then you know that the struggle is real out there. With so many buildings and... 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