While You’re Renting
Need help with housing?
By clicking the button above, you will be taken to an intake form and connected with a housing navigator.
You can also call 801-893-3779 or visit 501 East 1700 South Monday through Friday 8 am – 5 pm.
Have concerns with a landlord or business?
Landlords are business owners. If you feel that you have been treated unfairly or unethically, you can file a complaint with Salt Lake City.
Poor or Unsafe Housing?
Landlords are required to keep housing units to certain standards. If you feel that your housing may not meet health and safety standards, request an inspection from a City building inspector.
Renting Overview
Safe and secure housing that meets your needs is important for every aspect of your life. Following the advice on this page will help protect you and will help you stay in your housing. This information is based on Utah law only; every state is different. If you need legal advice, please reach out to an attorney. If you have a very low income, you may qualify for free or low-cost legal aid from a Utah Legal Services or the modest means program from the Utah bar.
Pay rent first
Pay rent first
Losing your housing can make it virtually impossible to maintain stability in other areas of life. Don’t take any chances with your housing! Document every payment and communication with your landlord by email or text message to protect yourself and ask for a copy of the written lease.
Document all communication with your landlord in writing
Document all communication with your landlord in writing
Always make repair requests in writing. Keep a copy of your communications with your landlord and proof of mailing. Make sure to get copies of all documents that you sign.
You can prove that the letter was sent and received by sending it as “Certified Mail Return Receipt” or asking your landlord to sign and date your copy of the letter. You can also ask a reliable person to witness your delivery of the notice to the landlord.
Document all agreements between you and your landlord and any commitments your landlord makes to you, especially payment arrangements. All agreements should be signed and dated by both you and your landlord. If the landlord will not sign an agreement, confirm the agreement with an email or text message to the landlord and save it.
Do not sign anything you don't understand
Do not sign anything you don’t understand
Ask questions if you don’t understand something or ask for the landlord to give you documents in a language you understand.
Always get receipts for money you pay to your landlord
Always get receipts for money you pay to your landlord
Ask the landlord for a receipt for rent and other payments. If you pay rent through an online portal, your banking bill showing the charge can serve as a receipt. You can also document payments by sending them certified mail or making a photocopy of the check or money order before you send it to the landlord and sending it with a letter stating the amount paid.
Whenever possible, pay using a method that tracks the payment instead of cash, and make copies of the money order after it’s filled out but before it’s separated from the stub. You can mark your payments “For [appropriate month] Rent” and keep a copy.
If you do pay cash, ask your landlord to give you a receipt of payment in writing. This could be a text message or email receipt that says something like, “I received your payment for [month] rent payment for [dollar amount] in cash.” Save these receipts.
Notify the landlord of any problems that need to be fixed
Notify the landlord of any problems that need to be fixed
If a problem with your housing is dangerous – meaning that it could lead to significant injury or death – notify your landlord by any means that is reasonable as soon as you can. Your landlord will have 24 hours to take action to correct the problems.
To seek repairs of other conditions that do not pose physical danger, you should always follow the landlord’s procedure for requesting repairs – whether that is a work order system, an online portal, an in-person report, a text message, an email, or a telephone call.
If there is a problem with your housing that violates a standard of habitability or a requirement in the lease, you may give the landlord a written notice that 1) describes the condition(s) that need to be fixed, 2) provide the landlord the timeline for addressing the conditions, 3) select the renter remedy you will choose if the landlord does not take sufficient action in the time period outlined in the notice, and 4) gives the landlord permission to enter your apartment to fix the problem(s).
You can use this form to notify your landlord. You can deliver the notice in person to the manager or other person who collects the rent, but sending the notice certified mail, return receipt requested, is the best choice for two reasons: (1) you will have proof that the landlord got your notice; and (2) according to the repair statutes, you have to give a landlord notice of a problem.
Before giving your landlord a notice of deficient conditions and selecting a potential remedy, you may want to connect with an attorney at Utah Legal Services to understand what is best for your situation.
Do not withhold rent even if your landlord is not making repairs
Do not withhold rent even if your landlord is not making repairs
Make sure that you are caught up on your rent and also in compliance with anything else required by the lease. You cannot withhold (not pay) your rent even if the landlord has failed to repair a condition that needs repair. Withholding rent may lead to an eviction and potentially additional costs for you.
Document the condition of your unit when you move in and when you move out
Document the condition of your unit when you move in and when you move out
You can help to make sure you get your security deposit back by documenting the unit’s condition when you first move in and when you leave.
Take detailed photographs of the unit’s condition. Make sure that the photos are tagged with the date they were taken.
Landlords are not required to do move-out inspections, but many will do so. Upon moving out, you should ask the landlord to walk through the unit with you and provide you with a copy of the signed inspection report at the end.
Make sure to give your landlord a forwarding address for yourself or the address of a dependable friend or relative when you move. This way, the landlord has a place to mail you your security deposit or send you an itemized list of charges. You should keep a copy of the notice you give to the landlord for your records.
Evictions always require a court process
Evictions always require a court process
Verbal eviction notices are not valid. Your landlord cannot evict you without a court order. However, a landlord can start the eviction process by giving you a notice to pay or vacate the property – or a notice to resolve other terms of the lease that may have been violated. Complying with this notice can help you avoid costly damages you may have to pay to the landlord later. Because the full eviction process can take multiple weeks, it is important to comply with the eviction notice as soon as possible. Visit the Utah Legal Services website or the Utah Court System’s website for more information about the eviction process.
Until a landlord has a court order they cannot:
- Change the locks on the doors
- Shut off any utility, such as water, electric, or gas
- Take possession of any property that belongs to you
- Enter the rental unit without advance notice, except in the case of a true emergency
- Harass, intimidate, or threaten you or your guests
Inhibit your rights to freely enter and leave the property.
Protect yourself by documenting when you move out of a unit
Protect yourself by documenting when you move out of a unit
To get out of your lease (including the obligation to pay rent) you should give your landlord at least 15 days’ notice that you will be moving out, unless your lease specifies otherwise. This may be true even if you’re on a month-to-month lease. You should give this notice in writing.
You should make sure to move out of your unit by the date that you set in your notice. If you stay even one day past the vacate date, the landlord may be able to legally charge you for the entire following month’s rent. This depends on the language of the lease.
Once you are ready to turn over possession of the unit to the landlord, return the key and ask for a receipt for the key. This receipt can be a text message or email that says, “I received the returned key upon move out of [Apartment unit and address].” This will help prevent issues relating to the actual date you vacated the apartment.
If you are on a long-term lease, you normally cannot end the lease until the term ends. Sometimes you can negotiate this with your landlord or get out of the lease if the landlord breaks the lease, but this can be very difficult and may be done only if your lease permits it, or if there is an exception in state law, such as if you are called up for active duty military service, if you are experiencing domestic violence and provide the landlord with a copy of the protective order or police report, or if your housing is in extremely poor condition and needs substantial renovation to become habitable and you provide the landlord with the required notice. If you need to end your lease early, your landlord should try to rent it to someone else. You might have to pay for finding a new renter and any rent your landlord misses while the home is empty. If they can’t find a new tenant, you might have to pay for the rest of the lease.
Landlords can only enforce rules written in the lease or referred to in the lease
Landlords can only enforce rules written in the lease or referred to in the lease
Landlords can only enforce terms written in your lease or written in documents referred to in the lease. Stated another way, the landlord cannot change the terms of the lease during the term of the lease unless you both agree to those changes, or you agreed in the lease agreement that the landlord had the right to change certain parts of the lease. See Lease changes [build this out] for more on this.
Leases don’t automatically renew unless the contract says so. Your lease might have a clause for automatic renewal, or it could state that it changes to a month-to-month agreement after the initial rental period ends. Once your tenancy becomes month-to-month, your landlord can change the lease by giving you 30 days’ written notice of changes. You can reject the changes and give the landlord 30 days’ written notice that you will move. Some leases give the landlord the right to change certain community or house rules during the tenancy. If the landlord proposes a change in the rules during your tenancy, you should check your lease to see whether the rule change is allowed.
Read the lease carefully before you sign. The landlord can enforce all terms written in the contract if they don’t contradict any state or city laws.
Roommates
Having a roommate can be fun and be more affordable, but it can also be challenging. The information below can help you deal with issues that may come up with roommates.
My roommate isn't paying their portion of the rent
My roommate isn’t paying their portion of the rent
If one roommate pays and the other does not pay or moves out, the landlord will expect the rest of the rent. If your name is on the lease, you may be responsible for getting the total rent to the landlord, even if you paid your share already (unless you and your roommate signed separate leases with your landlord). If the landlord does not get all the money, then they can terminate the lease, evict, and possibly take other actions such as exercising a lockout and seizing tenant property.
In most cases, if you need to find a new roommate to help with expenses, the new roommate will need to be approved by the property owner, and you may need to sign a new lease or a lease addendum.
What can I do if I'm having problems with my roommate(s)?
“What can I do if I’m having problems with my roommate(s)?”
If you and your roommate have a disagreement, your landlord likely will not get involved in the dispute. Unless there are threats of violence, the police will consider a roommate dispute a “civil matter” and not get involved.
If you have problems with a roommate, here’s what you may do:
- Negotiate as much as possible and put any agreements you make in writing.
- See if the landlord will let you out of the lease. If you move out without your landlord having released you from the lease, you may be liable for monetary damages related to breaking your lease. This can also impact your credit score. You would also still be liable for damages to the unit beyond normal wear and tear.
- Try to find another roommate to take your place, but make sure your old roommate and the landlord consent and take your name off the lease.
- Try to find a roommate to replace the roommate that you are having trouble with. Make sure you get written approval from the landlord.
The best plan is to set expectations in the beginning and make sure that you and your roommate are compatible living partners. On our Before you move in page, you can read about choosing roommates and getting all roommates on the same page by filling out a Renting Together Contract that you and your roommate(s) can fill out and sign before you move in.