Renter Protection Index

How well does your state protect renters?

We scored 10 major US states on the strength and breadth of their tenant protection laws — based on real statutes in our database.

How we score

Category Coverage (0-5 pts) — How many of the 8 legal categories have statutes
Rent Control (0-2 pts) — Whether any covered city has rent increase limits
Just Cause Eviction (0-2 pts) — Whether landlords need a valid reason to evict
Statute Depth (0-1 pt) — Whether the state has 10+ statutes in our database
1

California

10/10Strong Protection
19 statutesRent ControlJust Cause Eviction
2

New York

10/10Strong Protection
15 statutesRent ControlJust Cause Eviction
3

Oregon

10/10Strong Protection
12 statutesRent ControlJust Cause Eviction
4

Illinois

8/10Strong Protection
15 statutesJust Cause Eviction
5

Washington

8/10Strong Protection
14 statutesJust Cause Eviction
6

Texas

5/10Moderate Protection
10 statutes
7

Florida

5/10Moderate Protection
10 statutes
8

Massachusetts

5/10Moderate Protection
10 statutes
9

Colorado

5/10Moderate Protection
8 statutes
10

New Jersey

5/10Moderate Protection
8 statutes

Find out exactly what protections apply to you

Ask a specific question about your situation and get a statute-backed answer.

Ask Your Question Free

Scores are based on the statutes in our database and may not reflect the complete landscape of tenant protections in each state. RentCounsel provides legal information, not legal advice.