Usually, refusing to pay your rent is frowned upon by the courts. One exception is California where a tenant may withhold rent under certain circumstances. Check your lease and, as always, consult an attorney before you take action. Most leases specify that you are on your own when it comes to damages to your personal possessions from fires, floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters. You may be able to recover something from your landlord if you can show that the damage was due to his negligence.
Most states have statutes that govern the disposition of security deposits for rental property.
While the situation varies from state to state, landlords typically are only able to deduct the actual cost of repairs for damage over and above normal wear and tear from a security deposit. If you do you could be in violation of the terms of your lease. If you do not rectify this breach, your landlord could very well go to court to evict you. I want to get my locks changed but my landlord says I'll have to pay for it. Unless the existing lock is defective or in violation of a building code, in most states a landlord is under no obligation to replace it.