05/19/14 If you are renting, it is important to know your rights as a tenant. Indiana’s landlord/tenant law provides protection to Hoosiers. Knowing your rights from the beginning can help one avoid any unnecessary problems in the future.
Indiana’s landlord/tenant law includes the following:
- Safe, Clean, Habitable – The landlord must comply with all building and health codes.
- Upkeep – The landlord must provide heat, water and appliances.
- Privacy – A landlord must give advanced notice before they enter your dwelling, unless it is an emergency such as a fire.
- Access to the Property – You have the right to enter your rental property at all times.
- Maintenance of Common Areas – Landlords have a duty to maintain common areas throughout rental premises.
- Deposit – A tenant has the right to have his security deposit returned if the rental property is returned to the landlord in good order.
- Right to Legal Action – A tenant has the right to legal action if a landlord neglects his duties and is creating uninhabitable premises.
- Fair Housing – The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings, and in other housing-related transactions, based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and handicap.
- Affordable Housing – In affordable housing rents are limited based on average median income for the county. Rents must not be more than 30% of your monthly income inclusive of utilities.
- Landlord Rights – A landlord has the right to enter the rental unit after first giving a reasonable notice to visit. A landlord also has the right to terminate tenancy and pursue an eviction case for tenants who do not pay owed rent, or violate a lease term and do not quit the property when notice is delivered.
- Termination of Tenancy – Termination for non-payment requires a 10-day written notice. No notice is acceptable in certain situations, such as the end of a lease term or the tenant is a tenant at sufferance.
- Tenant Obligations – A tenant must follow health and housing codes, both for the state and any local requirements. A tenant must give the rental back in as close to original condition as possible.
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