About RenterLaw

Tenant law is public — but for most renters, it might as well be hidden. It's fragmented across statutes, regulations, and government PDFs, written for lawyers, and nearly impossible to navigate when you're already in a stressful situation.

RenterLaw is a free tenant rights hub — structured guides backed by primary sources, curated links to authoritative external resources, and a directory of organizations that can help when information alone isn't enough.

Everything here is built around a single standard: every claim links to its primary source — a statute, regulation, or government document — so you can read what the law actually says, not just what someone summarized.

What's on this site

City guides. Step-by-step playbooks for specific situations — lease disputes, repairs, deposits, notice requirements — organized by jurisdiction and backed by local statute. Browse by city.

Primary sources. Every factual statement cites the law it came from. If you want to go deeper, the citation takes you directly to the source — no dead ends, no paywalls.

Editorial guidance. A small number of statements are practical advice rather than direct statute. These are clearly labeled. Read how we use that label.

Who we are

We're a small team of engineers and researchers, CMU alumni. We build the platform, turn raw statutes into structured, plain-language guides, and check every citation against its source before anything is published.

We're not a law firm, a nonprofit, or a legal aid organization. We're a few people who believe access to legal information should be easier than it currently is.

How to trust it

Every guide is built from primary sources — statutes, ordinances, and government publications. Every claim quotes and links the exact section it comes from, so you can read the law yourself and check any statement. Nothing is published without a citation.

And if you'd rather not check it yourself, you don't have to — that's what the citations are for, and we verify every one against its source before it goes live. We also re-check cited sources over time: if the law changes and the text we quoted is gone, the guide is flagged for review.

What this site is not

This is not legal advice. If you are facing eviction, a habitability dispute, or any situation where your housing is at risk, contact a lawyer or your local legal aid organization. We can help you understand what the law says. We cannot tell you what to do in your specific situation.

Support the work

This site is free and ad-free. It's sustained by people who find it useful. If that's you, here's how to help.