If you are like millions of other Americans, this might be your first time living in an apartment and subsequently, the first time you’ve ever had a landlord. Believe it or not, in most cases, residents have far more in the way of rights when it comes to disputes between residents and landlords. Let’s take a quick look at what your landlord can do and what they can’t.

First off, your landlord can not just throw you out into the street unless you have missed significant amounts of time since the last time you paid rent, and even then, a written notice of eviction must be given 30 days in advance of when you have to be out. If your landlord threatens to simply toss you out because you are late on rent by a week, that is patently against the law.

Your landlord also does not have the right to enter your apartment any time they want. In most cases, any entry requires at least 24 hours notice and some states require that a notice be put in writing.

Your landlord also has no right to expect rent to be paid before the first of the month. He or she may ask if it is possible for you to pay rent early and you are more than welcome to if you want, but legally, no lease mandates that rent ever be paid early unless you have some kind of special circumstance that requires it, such as you being away from your apartment for months on end and rent must be collected via post-dated checks.

We’ve all had emergencies in our lives that have sapped our bank account and left us struggling to make ends meet in the apartment. It could be an unplanned trip to the hospital or it could be our car dying at exactly the wrong time. No matter what you reason is, if you can’t pay rent next month, here are a few helpful tips to get you through in one piece.

First off, honesty really is the best policy here. If you deal with an individual landlord, sit down and talk to them and be completely honest about your situation. Don’t expect them to forgo rent this month, but they are likely to be more sympathetic if you’re honest up front than if you simply don’t pay rent and don’t return their phone calls. If you deal with an apartment complex that is run by a professional company, again, honesty is the best policy. If you have a solid payment history with them, they will likely let you go a few days late, although you will likely have to pay a penalty to do so.

Next, talk to your job. Many corporations have short term loan programs for emergencies in place to help employees. You may not even know your company has a program like this in place until you ask.

Finally, ask family and friends for help. No one likes someone who is constantly asking for money, but if you need help once in a while, someone should be able to come through for you. Avoid short term loan companies and pay day loan services. They charge outrageous interest and can put you in a deep hole you might never get out of.