Warranty of habitability

Nearly every state requires your landlord to keep your home safe and fit to live in. Lawyers call this rule the implied warranty of habitability. It means your landlord must keep the home safe and livable, even if the lease says nothing about repairs.

Texas law makes your landlord fix any condition that puts an ordinary renter's health or safety at risk. You must be paid up on rent when you ask for the repair. If you owe rent, you lose your repair rights until you pay.

Massachusetts law requires rental housing to meet the State Sanitary Code (105 CMR 410), which sets minimum standards for heat, plumbing, structural integrity, pest control, light, and ventilation. A landlord who fails to maintain these standards is in violation of the law.

Your landlord must keep your home safe and fit to live in. Lawyers call this promise the warranty of habitability. The promise is part of every lease, even if the lease never mentions it.

Your landlord has a legal duty to give you a home that is safe, sanitary, and reasonably comfortable. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court decided this in 1979 in an updated version of the warrant of the habitability and can't be taken away.

Washington law requires landlords to maintain rental units in a fit and habitable condition and to make necessary repairs.