Nashville's tight rental market has meant climbing rents and low vacancy rates for many homes and apartment complexes. That also means landlords — particularly at relatively affordable buildings — have a deep pool of ready tenants.

So residents of the city's few remaining low-income apartments perceive a risk of eviction and hold back on reporting problems to their landlords, said Austin Sauerbrei, an organizer with Nashville tenant organizing group Homes4All.

“There’s a lot of fear from tenants who may not want to come forward,” he said.

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Zac Oswald, the lead attorney for housing at the Legal Aid Society in Nashville, has also seen a high volume of complaints over the past two years from tenants who say their landlords ignored repair requests.

"Tenants are being forced to choose to live in a place that's not being repaired, or jump back into the Nashville housing market," he said.

So what are their rights to get repairs done? We asked experts a few questions.

Can a renter withhold rent if the landlord doesn't make repairs?

If a landlord fails to supply essential services — like gas, heat or electricity — that affect a renter's health and safety, then renters have three options for emergency repairs, Oswald said.

They can repair the problem and deduct the cost from the rent; sue the landlord; or find another place to stay (renters in this case would be excused from paying rent while their apartment is being repaired).

Renters have to give written notice to the landlord, though, before taking these actions. Oswald adds that Tennessee state law doesn't specify what falls under the umbrella of essential services, and judges end up making decisions on a case-by-case basis.

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If a renter withholds rent and the landlord disputes the repairs, does the landlord have to give notice before eviction?

It depends on what is in the lease, Oswald says. State law allows tenants to waive their rights to receive notice for unpaid rent, so many Nashville lease agreements allow landlords to immediately begin eviction proceedings for unpaid rent. Proceedings always have at least a 10-day finality period. If the agreement doesn't waive that right, then the tenant generally has 14 days to pay after receiving written notice, or the proceedings begin.

Where do these laws apply?

Only the state's 16 largest counties (those with populations greater than 75,000) fall under the state's rental code. "The tenants in those smaller counties have even less rights," Oswald said.

For more information, view one of the "Legal Help Booklets" at the Legal Aid Society website, las.org.