Form 27: Notice of Needed Repairs

• Jurisdiction: United States

Form 27: Notice of Needed Repairs

Landlords are legally required to provide tenants livable premises, and to maintain the rental property in decent condition throughout the rental term. Most states' laws refer to this obligation as the landlord's legal duty to fulfill the "implied warranty of habitability."

Even when tenants knowingly move into a place that's clearly substandard (below reasonable habitability standards), landlords are required to provide habitable premises. Or, put another way, all courts have rejected the sleazy argument that tenants waive the right to a livable place when they accept a substandard rental unit.

Tenants who have a problem with the physical condition of their rental unit will want to notify their landlord or manager as soon as possible. The best...