Welcome to healthy housing!
Your home shouldn’t be just a place to live! It should be a nurturing environment for your health and well-being. A healthy living environment free from mold, pests, and secondhand smoke is important to you and your family. Together, we can work to ensure everyone has access to healthy housing options.
Protect your family from unhealthy indoor air.
Environmental Protection Agency estimates we spend about 90% of our time indoors. Indoor air quality can be 2–5 times more polluted than outdoor air.
Secondhand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. There is no safe level of exposure. Smoke drifts from one apartment to another. This can affect the quality of your air. Secondhand smoke can:
- Irritate your lungs.
- Reduce the oxygen in your blood.
- Increase your risk for heart disease and lung cancer.
Tenant resources
Asthma
- Asthma—Tips on how to manage your asthma.
Mold
- Mold—Clean up and prevent mold in your home.
Laws and rights
- Residential Landlord and Tenant Act—The rights and duties of landlords and tenants.
- City of Tacoma Landlord-Tenant Program—For concerns in City of Tacoma limits.
- Tacoma tenants have additional protections under local laws—If you are a Tacoma tenant (you rent the place where you live), new laws give you certain rights.
- Your rights as a tenant in Washington—Learn how you can protect yourself link update.
- Fair Housing Center of Washington—Request an accommodation/modification.
Guidance
- What to do if your rental needs repairs—Includes a sample “Notice Requesting Repairs” and other requests, landlord responsibilities and what to do if repairs are not made.
- Guide for residents with disabilities—Reasonable Accommodations and Modifications Informational Guide with sample requests.
- Guidance for healthcare professionals—Discusses how to verify reasonable accommodation and modification requests and includes a sample request.
Smoke-free housing
- Smoke-free housing resources—Info for tenants who suffer from drifting tobacco smoke.
- Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights—Education, information, technical assistance, and training to create smoke-free laws.
- Second-hand and third-hand smoke resources—Tips on how to protect your family from second-hand and third-hand smoke exposure.
- Request info on smoke-free housing.
Learn more about how to protect your health and well-being.
Email healthyhomes@tpchd.org.