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Can You Withhold Rent Over Unmade Repairs?

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Water leaking from a damaged ceiling into a bucket on the floor of a rental apartment.

When your landlord ignores broken heating, a leaking roof, or a dead refrigerator, the temptation to stop paying rent is powerful. Why pay full price for a home that is falling apart? In some states, withholding rent is a legal remedy for unmade repairs. In others, it is a fast track to eviction. The difference … Read more

Minor Repairs: What Tenants Must Handle Themselves

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A person changing a lightbulb in a rental apartment living room as part of routine tenant maintenance.

Not every repair in a rental is the landlord’s job. While landlords handle major systems and supplied appliances, tenants are expected to take care of small, everyday maintenance on their own. Knowing where that line sits saves you from waiting weeks for a fix you could handle in five minutes, and it keeps you from … Read more

Broken Appliances: Landlord Repair Obligations

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A maintenance technician repairing a broken washing machine in a rental apartment laundry room.

A broken refrigerator, a dead furnace in January, or a washing machine that floods the laundry room can turn a comfortable rental into a daily frustration. When appliances supplied with your rental stop working, one question matters more than any other: whose job is it to fix them? The answer depends on your lease, your … Read more

Bed Bugs in Apartments: Who Pays for Treatment?

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A gloved hand lifting a mattress seam during a bed bug inspection in a bedroom.

Bed bugs are every renter’s nightmare. They hide in mattresses, baseboards, and outlets, feed at night, and spread from unit to unit through walls. Professional treatment can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, which raises an urgent question: who pays? Bed bug responsibility is one of the most disputed issues in landlord tenant law, … Read more

Who Pays for Pest Control: Landlord or Tenant?

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A pest control technician in uniform treating along the baseboards of an apartment room.

Ants in the kitchen, mice in the pantry, or roaches in the bathroom. Pests are stressful, unsanitary, and surprisingly common in rentals. The first question most tenants ask is simple: who pays the exterminator? The answer depends on your lease, your state’s laws, and what caused the infestation. In most cases the landlord pays, but … Read more

Mold in Your Rental: Landlord Responsibilities

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Dark mold spots spreading across the corner of an apartment bathroom ceiling.

You spot dark patches spreading across the bathroom ceiling, and the musty smell is getting worse. Mold in a rental is more than an eyesore. It can trigger allergies, asthma attacks, and respiratory problems, and it often signals a deeper issue like a hidden leak. The good news is that landlords in every state have … Read more

Landlord Repair Deadlines: How Long Is Too Long?

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A handyman repairing a wall heater in an apartment living room with a toolbox nearby.

You reported the broken heater two weeks ago, and nothing has happened. Your landlord says they will get to it, but the temperature keeps dropping. At what point does a slow repair become a legal violation? Every state requires landlords to make repairs within a reasonable time, but reasonable is frustratingly vague until you know … Read more

Emergency Maintenance: What Counts and Who Pays

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Water pouring from a burst pipe in an apartment ceiling at night, showing an emergency maintenance situation.

At 2 a.m., water is pouring through your ceiling. Is this an emergency your landlord must fix tonight, and who pays for the damage? Knowing the answer before disaster strikes saves you from panic decisions and arguments about the bill later. Emergency maintenance sits in a special category of landlord tenant law. The normal rules … Read more

Overnight Guests: When Do They Become Tenants?

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An overnight guest unpacking a suitcase in a spare bedroom, with mail and personal belongings suggesting a long-term stay.

Your partner sleeps over four nights a week. Your friend has been crashing on the couch for a month while apartment hunting. At what point does an overnight guest stop being a guest and start being a tenant? The answer matters more than most renters realize, because the legal consequences for tenants, guests, and landlords … Read more