How long does a landlord have to make repairs? It depends on the state

The clock starts with notice

Repair deadlines come from state and local law and from your lease. Some states give a number of hours or days; others say a reasonable time and let the facts decide. In each example below, the time runs from the renter's notice, and several states require that notice in writing before the renter can use a remedy.

That makes your intake process part of your legal position. Give renters one clear channel for repair requests, record the date and time each request arrives and reply so the renter knows you have it. Keep every channel you give renters monitored, so a request never sits unread while a deadline runs.

Washington: hours for essentials, days for the rest

After the renter's written notice, Washington requires you to start the repair (RCW 59.18.070):

• Within 24 hours for loss of hot or cold water, heat or electricity, or a condition that is imminently hazardous to life.
• Within 72 hours for loss of a refrigerator, range and oven, or a major plumbing fixture you supplied.
• Within 10 days in other cases.

These are deadlines to start, unless circumstances are beyond your control. If you miss them, a renter who is current on rent and utilities may end the lease on written notice, go to court or arbitration, or use repair and deduct within the statute's limits (RCW 59.18.090; RCW 59.18.100; RCW 59.18.080). You owe no repair, and the renter has no remedy, for a defect the renter, their household or their guests caused (RCW 59.18.060).

Utah: three days for habitability, 24 hours for danger

In Utah, a renter may serve a written notice of a deficient condition. The notice gives you a corrective period: three calendar days for a habitability standard and ten calendar days for a rental agreement requirement. If you do not take substantial action toward fixing it in time, the renter may either abate rent and end the agreement, or repair it and deduct the cost from future rent, up to two months' rent (Utah Code § 57-22-6).

For a dangerous condition, one that poses a substantial risk of imminent loss of life or significant physical harm, the renter may tell you by any reasonable means, and you must start remedial action within 24 hours and pursue it diligently (Utah Code § 57-22-6(3)). A renter who caused the condition, or who is not meeting the renter's own duties, has no remedy.

Delaware: start within 10 days, finish within 30

In Delaware, if you fail to make a required repair and, after the renter's written notice, do not fix it within 30 days or do not begin reasonable corrective steps within 10 days, the renter may have the work done professionally and deduct up to $400 or half a month's rent, whichever is less (25 Del. C. § 5307(a)).

Essential services move faster. If you substantially fail to supply hot water, heat, water or electricity for 48 hours after notice, the renter may end the lease on written notice or, on written notice, keep two thirds of the daily rent while the service is out (25 Del. C. § 5308(a), (b)).

Virginia: 14 days for serious conditions

If a Virginia renter gives written notice of a material problem or a condition that threatens life, health or safety, such as rodents or no heat, water, electricity or sewage disposal, and you do not take reasonable steps to fix it within 14 days, the renter may hire a licensed contractor or licensed pest control business and deduct the actual cost from rent. The deduction is capped at one month's rent or $1,500, whichever is greater, and the renter must give you an itemized statement with receipts (Va. Code § 55.1-1244.1(B), (C)).

For a material problem affecting health and safety, the renter may also give written notice that the lease ends at least 30 days later unless you fix the problem within 21 days (Va. Code § 55.1-1234).

California: a reasonable time, with 30 days as a marker

California uses a reasonable time. If you do not repair conditions that make the home untenantable within a reasonable time after written or oral notice, the renter may make the repair and deduct the cost, up to one month's rent, or move out and stop owing rent. The renter may use this remedy no more than twice in any 12 months (Cal. Civ. Code § 1942(a)).

A renter who repairs after the 30th day following notice is presumed to have waited a reasonable time, and a shorter wait can be reasonable when the circumstances require it (Cal. Civ. Code § 1942(b)). In practice, treat 30 days as the outside limit for ordinary repairs, not the target.

Build a response plan that beats the deadline

The safest plan is faster than any state requires. Sort each request as it arrives:

• Same day: no heat in cold weather, no water, no electricity, a gas smell, active flooding, a broken exterior lock or anything that threatens safety.
• Within a few days: a failed refrigerator, stove or major plumbing fixture, or a leak that is contained.
• Scheduled: everything else, with a date you share with the renter.

Give proper entry notice for the visit, confirm the fix with the renter, and record the completion date and cost. If a repair will take longer because of parts or permits, tell the renter in writing what you have done and what happens next. When the renter or a guest caused the damage, the statutes above often limit the renter's remedies, but you may still need to make the home safe.

How Rentari helps

Renters can send maintenance requests with photos through Rentari, and you can turn a request into a work order for a vendor and message the renter about the visit. Each step carries a date, which helps you show when notice arrived and when the work was done.

Sources and further reading

• Revised Code of Washington 59.18.070: repair timelines
• Revised Code of Washington 59.18.100: repair and deduct
• Utah Code § 57-22-6: renter remedies for deficient conditions
• Delaware Code, Title 25, § 5307: repair and deduct
• Delaware Code, Title 25, § 5308: essential services
• Code of Virginia § 55.1-1244.1: repair remedy
• Code of Virginia § 55.1-1234: tenant remedies for noncompliance
• California Civil Code § 1942: repair and deduct

Common questions