Find out what options are available in your state.
Tenants in every state have the right to safe and livable housing. To protect these rights, laws in most states give tenants specific options if the landlord fails to provide essential services or repair major problems, such as a leaking roof. These options include allowing tenants to withhold the rent or to repair the problem and deduct the cost of doing so from the rent (this is called "repair and deduct"). States typically specify which options are available to a tenant whose landlord fails to address major habitability problems, such as lack of heat in winter in a cold-weather state, and the circumstances under which the tenant may use a particular option. For example, states that allow rent withholding typically allow tenants to do so only if the landlord has done nothing after a certain number of days have passed after being notified by the tenant. Read your state statute for the specific rules in your state. The citation is provided here, and you can visit the Library of Congress's legal research site for links to state statutes. If you want to research local housing law, a useful online resource is MuniCode.com, which has collected a lot of city and county codes that can be browsed online. Just choose your state and look for your local area.
In addition to rent withholding and repair and deduct, tenants should be aware of all options if a landlord won't make major repairs, such as moving out, calling in local health inspectors, or even suing the landlord.
| State | Statute or Case on Rent Withholding | Statute or Case on Repair and Deduct |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Ala. Code § 35-9A-164 | Ala. Code § 35-9A-164 |
| Alaska | Alaska Stat. §§ 34.03.100, 34.03.180(a)(3), 34.03.190 | Alaska Stat. §§ 34.03.100, 34.03.180 |
| Arizona | Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§ 33-1364 and 33-1365 | Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§ 33-1363 and 1364 |
| Arkansas | Ark. Code § 18-17-502 | No statute |
| California | Cal. Civ. Pro. Code § 1174.2; Green v. Superior Court, 10 Cal. 3d 616 (1974) | Cal. Civ. Code § 1942 |
| Colorado | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-507 | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-507 |
| Connecticut | Conn. Gen. Stat. Ann. §§ 47a-14a to -14h | Conn. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 47a-13 |
| Delaware | Del. Code Ann. tit. 25, § 5308(b)(3) | Del. Code Ann. tit. 25, §§ 5307, 5308 |
| District of Columbia | D.C. Mun. Regs. § 14-4303; Javins v. First Nat'l Realty Corp., 428 F.2d 1071 (D.C. Cir. 1970) | No statute |
| Florida | Fla. Stat. Ann. § 83.60 | Fla. Stat. Ann. § 83.60 |
| Georgia | No statute | Not addressed by statute, but Georgia courts recognize a tenant's right to this remedy. See Georgia Landlord Tenant Handbook, 2020; Georgia Department of Community Affairs; and see Abrams v. Joel, 108 Ga. App. 662, 134 S.E.2d 480 (1963) |
| Hawaii | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-78 | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-64 |
| Idaho | No statute | No statute on repair and deduct, but if a landlord won't make repairs, tenant must provide landlord with a written notice with a list of violations. Landlord then has three days to fix; failure to repair allows the tenant to sue the landlord to force compliance. (Idaho Code § 6-320.) Repair and deduct is available specifically (and only) for failure to install and/or maintain smoke detectors. (Idaho Code § 6-320(a)(6).) |
| Illinois | 765 Ill. Comp. Stat. §§ 735/2, 735/2.2 (applies only when a court has appointed a receiver to collect rents, following landlord's failure to pay for utilities) | 765 Ill. Comp. Stat. § 742/5 |
| Indiana | No statute | No statute on repair and deduct, but once tenant gives landlord notice of landlord's need to repair, landlord has reasonable amount of time to remedy. If landlord doesn't remedy, tenant can sue for enforcement and might obtain actual and consequential damages, as well as attorneys' fees and court costs. (Ind. Code Ann. § 32-31-8-6.) |
| Iowa | Iowa Code Ann. § 562A.24 | Iowa Code Ann. § 562A.23 |
| Kansas | Kan. Stat. Ann. § 58-2561 | No statute |
| Kentucky | Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 383.645 | Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§ 383.635, 383.640 |
| Louisiana | No statute | La. Civ. Code Ann. art. 2694 |
| Maine | Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 14, § 6021 | Me. Rev. Stat. Ann. tit. 14, § 6026 |
| Maryland | Md. Code Ann. [Real Prop.] §§ 8-211, 8-211.1 | No statute |
| Massachusetts | Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 239, § 8A | Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 111, § 127L |
| Michigan | Mich. Comp. Laws § 125.530 | Rome v. Walker, 198 N.W.2d 850 (1972); Mich. Comp. Laws § 554.139 |
| Minnesota | Minn. Stat. Ann. §§ 504B.215(3)(d), 504B.385 | Minn. Stat. Ann. § 504B.425 |
| Mississippi | No statute | Miss. Code Ann. § 89-8-15 |
| Missouri | Mo. Ann. Stat. §§ 441.570, 441.580; Kohner Properties, Inc. v. Johnson, 553 S.W.3d 280 (Mo. Sup. Ct. 2018) | Mo. Ann. Stat. § 441.234 |
| Montana | Mont. Code Ann. § 70-24-421 | Mont. Code Ann. §§ 70-24-406 to -408 |
| Nebraska | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1428 | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1427 |
| Nevada | Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 118A.490 | Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§ 118A.360, 118A.380 |
| New Hampshire | N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 540:13-d | No statute |
| New Jersey | Berzito v. Gambino, 63 N.J. 460 (1973) | Marini v. Ireland, 265 A.2d 526 (1970) |
| New Mexico | N.M. Stat. Ann. § 47-8-27.2 | No statute |
| New York | N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-b, Semans Family Ltd. Partnership v. Kennedy, 675 N.Y.S.2d 489 (N.Y. City Civ. Ct.,1998) | For emergency repairs (such as broken door lock) only: N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-b; Jangla Realty Co. v. Gravagna, 447 N.Y.S. 2d 338 (Civ. Ct., Queens County, 1981) |
| North Carolina | No statute, but tenants can sue in small claims court, asking a judge to order repairs, to reduce rent while repairs are being made, and for a retroactive rent abatement for the time during which repairs were not made. See, "Landlords' Maintenance and Repair Duties: Your Rights as a Residential Tenant in North Carolina," a North Carolina Attorney General publication. | No statute, but tenants can repair the problem and sue in small claims court for reimbursement. See, "Landlords' Maintenance and Repair Duties: Your Rights as a Residential Tenant in North Carolina," a North Carolina Attorney General publication. |
| North Dakota | No statute | N.D. Cent. Code §§ 47-16-13, 47-16-13.1 |
| Ohio | Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 5321.07 (does not apply to student tenants; or when landlord owns three or fewer rental units, as long as landlord has given written notice to tenant) | No statute |
| Oklahoma | Okla. Stat. Ann. tit. 41, § 121 | Okla. Stat. Ann. tit. 41, § 121 |
| Oregon | Or. Rev. Stat. § 90.365 | Or. Rev. Stat. § 90.365 |
| Pennsylvania | 68 Pa. Cons. Stat. Ann. § 250.206; 35 Pa. Cons. Stat. Ann. § 1700-1 | Pugh v. Holmes, 405 A.2d 897 (1979) |
| Rhode Island | R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-32 | R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 34-18-30 to -31 |
| South Carolina | S.C. Code Ann. § 27-40-640 | S.C. Code Ann. § 27-40-630 |
| South Dakota | S.D. Codified Laws Ann. § 43-32-9 | S.D. Codified Laws Ann. § 43-32-9 |
| Tennessee | Tenn. Code Ann. § 68-111-104 | Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-502 |
| Texas | No statute | Tex. Prop. Code Ann. §§ 92.056, 92.0561 |
| Utah | No statute | Utah Code Ann. § 57-22-6 |
| Vermont | Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 9, § 4458 | Vt. Stat. Ann. tit. 9, § 4459 |
| Virginia | Va. Code Ann. §§ 55.1-1244 | Va. Code Ann. § 55.1-1244.1 |
| Washington | Wash. Rev. Code Ann. §§ 59.18.110, 59.18.115 | Wash. Rev. Code Ann. §§ 59.18.100, 59.18.110 |
| West Virginia | Teller v. McCoy, 253 S.E.2d 114 (W.Va. 1978) | Teller v. McCoy, 253 S.E.2d 114 (W.Va. 1978) |
| Wisconsin | Wis. Stat. Ann. § 704.07(4) | No statute |
| Wyoming | Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1206 | No statute |
Updated: January 26, 2022
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