Design preview. Not public yet.

Home & Daily Life

Your rights as a tenant

Federal law bans housing discrimination, your state sets most other tenant rules, and if a screening report gets you denied you can see and dispute it. Put every request in writing.

Easy10 min to readFree

You'll need

  • Your lease
  • A way to keep copies (email works)

What to know

  1. Know the federal baseline. The Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to discriminate because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status or disability (HUD).
  2. Look up your state's rules. USA.gov links to state and local tenant resources (USA.gov).
  3. Make repair requests in writing, with the date, and keep a copy.
  4. If a screening report gets you turned down, ask for the name of the company, get your free copy, and dispute anything wrong (CFPB).
  5. If you're stuck, contact legal aid. USA.gov lists it as a place to get help with landlord problems (USA.gov).
Watch out. Don't stop paying rent on your own to force a repair unless you've confirmed your state allows it and you follow its exact steps. Getting it wrong can lead to eviction.

If it doesn't work

  • If you were discriminated against, file a complaint with HUD's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (HUD).
  • If you live in HUD-assisted housing and the problem isn't fixed, USA.gov lists a HUD complaint line for that housing (USA.gov).
  • If a screening company won't fix an error, you can submit a complaint to the CFPB.

Good to know

Disability accommodations

Under fair housing law, landlords must make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities (HUD).

Screening report timing

The CFPB says you can request a free copy of the report within 60 days of a denial, and the company generally has 30 days to investigate a dispute (CFPB).

State law fills the gaps

Deposits, notice periods and repair timelines mostly come from state and local law, so check yours.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair housing rights and obligations
  2. USA.gov Tenant rights
  3. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau What to do if a tenant screening report leads to a denial

Lesson H1.6 · Last checked October 2, 2026 against the sources listed. See a mistake?