The baseline every rental has to meet, no matter what the lease says.
Some protections exist no matter what your lease says — a landlord can’t contract out of them. The specifics vary by state and city, but a few basics show up almost everywhere in the U.S.
Your unit has to meet basic “habitability” standards: working heat, plumbing and electrical, weatherproofing (no major leaks or drafts), functioning locks on doors and windows, and no pest infestations. If something in this category breaks, your landlord is generally required to fix it within a reasonable time after you report it.
Except in a genuine emergency (like a burst pipe), most states require your landlord to give advance written notice — commonly 24 to 48 hours — before entering your unit, even to make a repair you asked for.
It’s illegal for a landlord to evict you, raise your rent, or cut services in retaliation for something you’re legally entitled to do — reporting a habitability issue to a housing authority, joining a tenants’ union, or exercising a right under your lease.
Landlords can’t discriminate in renting, screening, or how they enforce a lease based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability. Several states and cities add further protected categories on top of this.
Put the issue in writing (email is fine) so there’s a paper trail with a date. Many states also allow rent withholding or “repair and deduct” for serious, unaddressed habitability issues — but the rules for doing this correctly are strict, so check your local tenant law or a local tenant rights organization before withholding rent on your own.
House.ai knows your lease terms and can walk through what’s actually enforceable.
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