Source: http://landlord.com/tenant_habitability_responsibilities_2011.htm
Timestamp: 2019-04-24 08:19:08+00:00

Document:
This is the mirror image of the landlord responsibilities chart. It occurred to us that many of our visitors may be asking themselves: “Why is everyone always talking about the landlord’s responsibilities to his tenants. Don’t the tenants have responsibilities to their landlords? Well, this is your answer.
As we did in the landlord responsibilities chart, we share the results of our research offering citations to the statutes we were able to find for each state, highlights of the responsibilities placed on the tenant by those statutes, remedies prescribed by statute, and an authoritative publication that deals, at least in part, with these responsibilities.
Note that there is more to the tenant’s responsibilities than what we have gleaned from the landlord-tenant statutes. Tenants are also temporary custodians of your property. Regardless of which state they occupy they also owe you the following, just as any temporary custodian, tenant or brother-in-law, of any piece of property, personal or real, would.
One of the reasons there is so little about the rights of landlords as opposed to their responsibilities is that a landlord’s rights are already well defined and ingrained in our law and have been for more than a few centuries, whereas an urban tenant’s rights are still being defined.
If a breach of the warranty of habitability is caused by the willful or negligent act of the tenant, his family, or guests, the landlord’s obligation to repair does not arise.
If there is noncompliance by the tenant with his duty to maintain the premises materially affecting health and safety that can be remedied by repair, replacement of a damaged item, or cleaning, and the tenant fails to comply as promptly as conditions require in case of emergency or within seven days after written notice by the landlord specifying the breach and requesting that the tenant remedy it within that period of time, the landlord may enter the dwelling unit and cause the work to be done in a workmanlike manner and submit the itemized bill for the actual and reasonable cost or the fair and reasonable value thereof as rent on the next date periodic rent is due, or if the rental agreement has terminated, for immediate payment.
Alabama Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act: How Is It Working?
If the tenant or someone in the tenant's control deliberately inflicts substantial damage to the premises in breach of AS 34.03.120(a)(5), the landlord may deliver a written notice to quit to the tenant under AS 09.45.100 - 09.45.105 specifying the act constituting the breach and specifying that the rental agreement will terminate upon a date that is not less than 24 hours after service of the notice; for purposes of this paragraph, damage to premises is "substantial" if the loss, destruction, or defacement of property attributable to the deliberate infliction of damage to the premises exceeds $400.
if there is a material noncompliance by the tenant with the rental agreement, or if there is noncompliance with AS 34.03.120 , other than deliberate infliction of substantial damage to the premises or other than noncompliance as to a utility service for which the provisions of (e) of this section apply, materially affecting health and safety, the landlord may deliver a written notice to quit to the tenant under AS 09.45.100 - 09.45.110 specifying the acts and omissions constituting the breach and specifying that the rental agreement will terminate upon a date not less than 10 days after service of the notice; if the breach is not remedied, the rental agreement terminates as provided in the notice subject to the provisions of this section; if the breach is remediable by repairs or the payment of damages or otherwise and the tenant adequately remedies the breach before the date specified in the notice, the rental agreement will not terminate; in the absence of due care by the tenant, if substantially the same act or omission that constituted a prior noncompliance of which notice was given recurs within six months, the landlord may terminate the rental agreement upon at least five days written notice to quit specifying the breach and the date of termination of the rental agreement.
If there is noncompliance by the tenant with his duty to maintain the premises materially affecting health and safety that can be remedied by repair, replacement of a damaged item or cleaning and the tenant fails to comply as promptly as conditions require in case of emergency or within fourteen days after written notice by the landlord specifying the breach and requesting that the tenant remedy it within that period of time, the landlord may enter the dwelling unit and cause the work to be done in a workmanlike manner and submit an itemized bill for the actual and reasonable cost or the fair and reasonable value thereof as rent on the next date when periodic rent is due, or if the rental agreement has terminated, for immediate payment.
According to the Arkansas Attorney General, a tenant who rents a residence takes it as is, and the landlord has no further obligation to maintain the premises. The only obligation the landlord has is to meet city building codes.
The landlord is under no obligation to repair if the tenant is in breach of any of the following obligations and the breach substantially contributed to the condition in need of repair.
If the condition causing the premises to be uninhabitable was substantially created by the tenant himself, that is a defense to the tenant’s claim of breach of the implied warranty of habitability.
If the tenant fails to discharge his responsibilities, the landlord may enforce them by delivering a notice giving the tenant 15 days notice to correct the condition. If the tenant fails to do so, the landlord may evict. See §47a-15 for details in cases of illegal drug use or other illegal activities.
The tenant is also required to report the existence of any defective condition the tenant becomes aware of that he has reason to believe it is the responsibility of the landlord or another tenant to correct.
The landlord may bring an action for summary possession after giving the tenant seven days notice to correct a neglect to perform the tenant’s habitability responsibilities, in addition to an action for breach of the lease.
The District of Columbia has its rules and regulations in it’s local Housing Code, which is not available to us. You should consult the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.
The tenants duties may be enforced by a civil action. Monetary damages are recoverable for breach. The landlord may also terminate the rental agreement and evict the tenant after giving notice to correct the breach, if that is possible, under §83.56.
Cost of repair may be deducted from the security deposit on termination of tenancy or, presumably, suit may be filed for cost of repair during tenancy.
The landlord has a number of remedies for violation of the above obligations, including, in a proper case, eviction of the tenant. See §521-69 and §521.72 for details.
The tenant may not commit waste while in possession of the rented property.
Landlord may sue the Tenant for waste and recover triple his actual damages.
No statute. Illinois’s warranty of habitability is in its common law. See Jack Spring v. Little, 50 Ill.2d 351, 280 N.E. 2d 208 (1972); Glasoe v. Trinkle, 107 Ill.2d 1, 479 N.E.2d 915, 88 Ill Dec. 895 (1985).
Landlord may file suit for and recover possession and damages if the tenant commits waste on the premises.
(D) Heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems.
The landlord may bring an action in a court with jurisdiction to enforce an obligation of a tenant under this chapter.
(1) The landlord gave the tenant notice of the tenant's noncompliance with a habitability responsivility.
(2) The tenant was given a reasonable amount of time to remedy the noncompliance.
If the noncompliance has caused physical damage that the landlord has repaired, the landlord has given notice specifying the repairs that the landlord has made and documenting the landlord's cost to remedy the condition described in the notice.
A landlord is not required to comply with the notice requirements if the tenant's occupancy of the rental premises has terminated.
3. Dispose from the tenant’s dwelling unit all ashes, rubbish, garbage, and other waste in a clean and safe manner.
5. Use in a reasonable manner all electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating, air-conditioning and other facilities and appliances including elevators in the premises.
6. Not deliberately or negligently destroy, deface, damage, impair or remove a part of the premises or knowingly permit a person to do so.
7. Act in a manner that will not disturb a neighbor’s peaceful enjoyment of the premises.
If the tenant fails to discharge his habitability responsibilities the landlord may deliver a written notice to the tenant specifying the acts and omissions constituting the breach and that the rental agreement will terminate upon a date not less than seven days after receipt of the notice if the breach is not remedied in seven days, and the rental agreement shall terminate as provided in the notice. If the breach is remediable by repairs or the payment of damages or otherwise and the tenant adequately remedies the breach prior to the date specified in the notice, the rental agreement does not terminate. If substantially the same act or omission which constituted a prior noncompliance of which notice was given recurs within six months, the landlord may terminate the rental agreement upon at least seven days’ written notice specifying the breach and the date of termination of the rental agreement.
Landlord may deliver a written notice to the tenant specifying the acts and omissions constituting the breach and that the rental agreement will terminate upon a date not less than 30 days after receipt of the notice, if the breach is not remedied in 14 days. The rental agreement terminates as provided in the notice regardless of the periodic rent-paying date, except that if the breach is remediable by repairs or the payment of damages or otherwise, and the tenant adequately initiates a good faith effort to remedy the breach prior to the date specified in the notice, the rental agreement does not terminate. However, in the event that a similar breach occurs after the 14-day period, the landlord may deliver a written notice to the tenant that the rental agreement will terminate upon a date not less than 30 days after receipt of the notice without providing the opportunity to remedy the breach. The rental agreement then terminates as provided in such notice regardless of the periodic rent-paying date.
If there is noncompliance by the tenant with habitability obligations the landlord may deliver a written notice to the tenant specifying the acts and omissions constituting the breach and that the rental agreement will terminate upon a date not less than fourteen (14) days after receipt of the notice. If the breach is not remedied in fifteen (15) days, the rental agreement shall terminate as provided in the notice subject to the following. If the breach is remediable by repairs or the payment of damages or otherwise and the tenant adequately remedies the breach before the date specified in the notice, the rental agreement shall not terminate. If substantially the same act or omission which constituted a prior noncompliance of which notice was given recurs within six (6) months, the landlord may terminate the rental agreement upon at least fourteen (14) days' written notice specifying the breach and the date of termination of the rental agreement.
The tenant is obligated to use the premises as a “prudent administrator” for the purposes for which it was intended and to return the premises at the conclusion of tenancy in at least as good condition as it was let to him.
Misuse of the premises causing damage entitles the landlord to terminate the lease and evict the tenant, or sue for damages.
The tenant may not damage the premises or create a nuisance on the premises.
In the event of damage or creation of a nuisance, the landlord may terminate the tenancy and evict if the tenant fails to correct the offending condition on 7 days written notice to the tenant.
The landlord may evict the tenant on 30 days notice, or 14 days if the danger to lives or property is imminent, if the tenant fails to repair the condition. See §8-402.1 for details.
Massachusetts has an elaborate Sanitary Code that regulates not only the general quality, but also very specific characteristics that units designed for rental must possess. You can find these regulations here, as provided by the Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries.
The landlord’s responsibility to maintain fit premises does not apply to conditions that arise as a result of the fault of the Tenant.
See Rights and Duties of Tenants, below.
If the tenant is notified of needed repairs and they are not completed within a reasonable time not to exceed 30 days, landlord may terminate lease. Landlord may also sue for breach of covenant. See §89-8-13 for details.
Missouri’s implied warranty of habitability is part of its common law and has not been codified. See the publication linked before for details on the tenants obligations to maintain the rental premises.
Termination of tenancy, suit for waste to the premises.
(g) use the parts of the premises, including the living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and dining room, in a reasonable manner, considering the purposes for which they were designed and intended.
(a) If the noncompliance is remediable by repairs, the payment of damages, or otherwise and the tenant adequately remedies the noncompliance before the date specified in the notice, the rental agreement does not terminate.
(b) If the noncompliance involves an unauthorized pet, the notice period is 3 days.
(c) If the noncompliance involves unauthorized persons residing in the rental unit, the notice period is 3 days.
(d) If the noncompliance is not listed in (b) or (c), the notice period is 14 days.
(e) If substantially the same act or omission that constituted a prior noncompliance of which notice was given recurs within 6 months, the landlord may terminate the rental agreement upon at least 5 days' written notice specifying the noncompliance and the date of the termination of the rental agreement.
(8) Abide by all bylaws, covenants, rules or regulations of any applicable condominium regime, cooperative housing agreement, or neighborhood association not inconsistent with landlord's rights or duties.
The landlord may deliver a written notice to the tenant specifying the acts and omissions constituting the breach and that the rental agreement will terminate upon a date not less than thirty days after receipt of the notice if the breach is not remedied in fourteen days, and the rental agreement shall terminate as provided in the notice subject to the following. If the breach is remediable by repairs or the payment of damages or otherwise and the tenant adequately remedies the breach prior to the date specified in the notice, the rental agreement will not terminate. If substantially the same act or omission which constituted a prior noncompliance of which notice was given recurs within six months, the landlord may terminate the rental agreement upon at least fourteen days' written notice specifying the breach and the date of termination of the rental agreement. The landlord may also sue for damages and injunction.
7. Conduct himself or herself and require other persons on the premises with his or her consent to conduct themselves in a manner that will not disturb a neighbor’s peaceful enjoyment of the premises.
Landlord may sue for damages and injunction, terminate the rental agreement, or do the work and charge the tenant. See §§118A.420 - 440 for details.
The governing bodies of the municipalities set the housing standards that must be met. The parties are obligated to meet these standards.
The tenant may not withhold rent if the conditions were caused by his own fault, if he failed to give the landlord notice and an opportunity to cure the defect, or if he failed to provide the landlord with access necessary to cure it.
The habitability laws for New Jersey are apparently contained in a complex combination of state and local codes and laws. We are unable to locate specific statutes in the New Jersey statutes. The Habitability Bulletin cited below contains an unbiased summary of the obligations arising from these laws.
The landlord has an elaborate set of remedies in the event of the tenant’s failure to discharge his habitability obligations. These are included in §47-8-33, which should be read in its entirety.
All parties to a lease or rental agreement are deemed to covenant and warrant that the premises so leased or rented and all areas used in connection therewith in common with other tenants or residents are fit for human habitation and for the uses reasonably intended by the parties and that the occupants of such premises shall not  be subjected to any conditions which would be dangerous, hazardous or detrimental to their life, health or safety.  The landlord is also subject to the provisions of the Multiple Dwelling Law, and myriad local ordinances and laws.
In the event of the tenant’s failure to comply the landlord may recover damages or evict the tenant.
(1) Keep that part of the premises that the tenant occupies and uses as clean and safe as the conditions of the premises permit and cause no unsafe or unsanitary conditions in the common areas and remainder of the premises that the tenant uses.
(2) Dispose of all ashes, rubbish, garbage, and other waste in a clean and safe manner.
(3) Keep all plumbing fixtures in the dwelling unit or used by the tenant as clean as their condition permits.
(4) Not deliberately or negligently destroy, deface, damage, or remove any part of the premises, nor render inoperable the smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector provided by the landlord, or knowingly permit any person to do so.
(5) Comply with any and all obligations imposed upon the tenant by current applicable building and housing codes.
(6) Be responsible for all damage, defacement, or removal of any property inside a dwelling unit in the tenant's exclusive control unless the damage, defacement or removal was due to ordinary wear and tear, acts of the landlord or the landlord's agent, defective products supplied or repairs authorized by the landlord, acts of third parties not invitees of the tenant, or natural forces.
(7) Notify the landlord, in writing, of the need for replacement of or repairs to a smoke detector or carbon monoxide detector. The landlord shall ensure that a smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector are operable and in good repair at the beginning of each tenancy. Unless the landlord and the tenant have a written agreement to the contrary, the landlord shall place new batteries in a battery‑operated smoke detector and battery‑operated carbon monoxide detector at the beginning of a tenancy and the tenant shall replace the batteries as needed during the tenancy. Failure of the tenant to replace the batteries as needed is not considered as negligence on the part of the tenant or the landlord.
Landlord may sue for damages, evict for breach of a condition of tenancy.
7. Conduct oneself and require other persons on the premises with the tenant's consent to conduct themselves in a manner that will not disturb the tenant's neighbors' peaceful enjoyment of the premises.
If the landlord fails to perform his obligations the tenant may file suit for damages and costs and attorney fees or terminate the lease.
Upon violation by the tenant the landlord may sue for damages and other relief, including eviction of the tenant.
If noncompliance can be remedied by repair, replacement of a damaged item, or cleaning and the tenant fails to comply as promptly as conditions require in the case of an emergency or within ten (10) days after written notice served by the landlord specifying the breach and requiring that the tenant remedy it within that period of time, the landlord may enter the dwelling unit and cause the work to be done in a workmanlike manner and thereafter submit the itemized bill for the actual and reasonable cost or the fair and reasonable value thereof as rent on the next date rent is due, or if the rental agreement has terminated, for immediate payment. If the landlord remedies the breach as stated, the tenancy does not terminate.
In the alternative, the landlord may deliver to the tenant a written notice specifying the acts and omissions constituting the noncompliance and that the rental agreement will terminate upon a date not less than fifteen (15) days after receipt of the notice unless remedied within ten (10) days. If the breach is not remedied within ten (10) days from receipt of the notice, the rental agreement shall terminate as provided in the notice. If within the ten (10) days the tenant adequately remedies the breach complained of, or if the landlord remedies the breach according to the provisions of subsection A of this section, the rental agreement shall not terminate by reason of the breach. Any subsequent breach of the lease or noncompliance under this section shall be grounds, upon written notice to the tenant, for immediate termination of the lease.
If there is a noncompliance by the tenant, which noncompliance causes or threatens to cause imminent and irremediable harm to the premises or to any person and which noncompliance is not remedied by the tenant as promptly as conditions require after the tenant has notice of it, the landlord may terminate the rental agreement by immediately filing a forcible entry and detainer action.
Keep all areas of the premises under control of the tenant in every part as clean, sanitary and free from all accumulations of debris, filth, rubbish, garbage, rodents and vermin, as the condition of the premises permits and to the extent that the tenant is responsible for causing the problem. The tenant shall cooperate to a reasonable extent in assisting the landlord in any reasonable effort to remedy the problem.
Dispose from the dwelling unit all ashes, garbage, rubbish and other waste in a clean, safe and legal manner. With regard to needles, syringes and other infectious waste, as defined in ORS 459.386, the tenant may not dispose of these items by placing them in garbage receptacles or in any other place or manner except as authorized by state and local governmental agencies.
Keep all plumbing fixtures in the dwelling unit or used by the tenant as clean as their condition permits.
Use in a reasonable manner all electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating, air conditioning and other facilities and appliances including elevators in the premises.
Test at least once every six months and replace batteries as needed in any smoke alarm, smoke detector or carbon monoxide alarm provided by the landlord and notify the landlord in writing of any operating deficiencies.
Behave and require other persons on the premises with the consent of the tenant to behave in a manner that will not disturb the peaceful enjoyment of the premises by neighbors.
(a) Remove or tamper with a smoke alarm, smoke detector or carbon monoxide alarm as described in ORS 105.842 or 479.300.
(b) Deliberately or negligently destroy, deface, damage, impair or remove any part of the premises or knowingly permit any person to do so.
In the event of tenant’s failure to perform his responsibilities, the landlord may require the tenant, by notice, to cure the default if possible, and evict the tenant if a cure is not made or is impossible. See §90.392 for details.
Pennsylvania’s statutes do not define habitability as do the statutes of most states. The implied warranty of habitability was created by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Read the references below for a summary of this doctrine.
Landlord may evict for failure to perform obligations listed above. See §34-18-36 for list of remedies and details.
In the event of the failure of the tenant to fulfill his responsibilities, the landlord may, on notice, terminate the rental agreement or take other less drastic action. See §27-40-710 for details.
The tenant must preserve the premises, appliances, appurtenances, and other leased personality in good condition, and repair all deteriorations or damage thereto occasioned by his negligent, willful or malicious conduct or such conduct of persons acting under his direction or control.
(2) When the tenant does not within a reasonable time after request make such repairs as he may be bound to make.
If there is a material noncompliance by the tenant with the rental agreement or a noncompliance with § 66-28-401 materially affecting health and safety, the landlord may deliver a written notice to the tenant specifying the acts and omissions constituting the breach, and that the rental agreement will terminate upon a date not less than thirty days after receipt of the notice. If the breach is not remedied in fourteen days, the rental agreement shall terminate as provided in the notice. If the breach is remediable by repairs or the payment of damages or otherwise and the tenant adequately remedies the breach prior to the date specified in the notice, the rental agreement will not terminate. If substantially the same act or omission which constituted a prior noncompliance of which notice was given recurs within six months, the landlord may terminate the rental agreement upon at least fourteen days' written notice specifying the breach and the date of termination of the rental agreement.
The landlord has no obligation to repair any condition that is caused by the tenant, a lawful occupant in the tenant’s dwelling, or a guest or invitee of the tenant. The landlord is not obligated to furnish utilities from a utility company if as a practical matter the utility lines of the company are not reasonably available, or furnish security guards.
Where the tenant wrongfully invokes rights of repair, etc., the landlord may recover damages, penalty damages of up to $500, and his attorney fees under §92.058.
Utah has an elaborate enforcement mechanism that can be applied to a landlord who fails to maintain the premises in habitable condition, but only if the tenant is in compliance with all of his obligations of tenancy, including the obligation to pay rent. See §57-22-6 for details.
If a tenant acts in violation of this section, the landlord is entitled to recover damages, costs and reasonable attorney's fees, and the violation shall be grounds for termination under subsection 4467(b).
Landlord’s remedies may include suit for damages and injunction or termination of tenancy and eviction. See §55-248.31 for details.
If the tenant fails to discharge his responsibilities, the landlord may sue for damages, do whatever remedial work is required and charge the tenant, or terminate tenancy and evict the tenant. See §59-18.180 for details.
West Virginia seems not to have a comprehensive list of tenant duties. The tenant is under a general obligation not to commit waste under §37-7-1, and the landlord is under no duty to maintain the premises if the tenant is not current on his rent obligations under §37-6-30. The tenant may also be evicted for damaging the rental property under §55-3A-1.
If the premises are damaged by the negligence or improper use of the premises by the tenant, the tenant must repair the damage and restore the appearance of the premises by redecorating. Except for residential premises subject to a local housing code, the tenant is also under a duty to keep plumbing, electrical wiring, machinery and equipment furnished with the premises in reasonable working order if repair can be made at cost which is minor in relation to the rent. A tenant in a residential tenancy must comply with a local housing code applicable to the premises.
In the event of a breach of duty by the tenant, the landlord may do the work himself and charge the tenant under §704.07, or terminate the tenancy and evict the tenant under §704.17.
The landlord may sue a tenant in breach for damages or evict under 1-21-1001.

References: §47
 §83
 §521
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 §8
 §89
 §47
 §90
 §34
 §27
 § 66
 §92
 §57
 §55
 §59
 §37
 §37
 §55
 §704
 §704