What can a tenant hold rent for?

[Michael Salamone]

Hey all,

So recently I had a sewer line back up causing a mess in the tenants side. Long story short, they decided to withhold their rent until they felt this situation was remedied (long story short this issue has been cleaned and closed)

My question is, I didn’t know that tenants could withhold rent for certain issues. So, what are some other circumstances that would allow a tenant to withhold rent?

Best,

Michael

[Nathan Gesner]

Typically, the tenant can only withhold rent if the Landlord is non-responsive to a repair request that is necessary. For example, they can't withhold rent because the Landlord refuses to paint the house trim, but they could withhold rent if the Landlord refuses to fix the water heater or deal with a roach infestation.

However, there are steps that need to be taken. From what I understand of CT law, the tenant must report the maintenance issue and then give the Landlord 15 days to repair before the tenant can withhold rent. I suspect your tenant didn't do that.

You may want to share this article with them. I also recommend you review your state law to see exactly what your responsibilities and rights are as a Landlord. If you don't know the law, your tenants can walk all over you.

https://www.nolo.com/legal-enc...