Landlord guide
Emergency repairs: what to do when an urgent call comes in
A burst pipe at 2am. No heat in January. The smell of gas. These are the ten calls that can’t wait — and the ones where a slow or wrong response costs you the most: property damage, tenant injuries, legal liability, and tenants who don’t renew. For each call type below: what to tell the tenant right now, what to do next, and what your state’s law says.
Researched September 2026. Laws change — verify against your state’s current statutes and your city’s housing code before acting.
State law is the floor, not the ceiling. Before you rely on anything below, check the housing code for the property’s city — local ordinances are frequently stricter:
- New York City: 68°F daytime / 62°F overnight heat (Oct 1–May 31), plus specific deadbolt, latch, chain-guard, and peephole requirements.
- New Orleans: rentals must hold bedrooms to a maximum of 80°F — a true cooling mandate.
- Phoenix: rental AC must cool to 82°F or lower (evaporative coolers 86°F).
- Los Angeles County (unincorporated): 82°F maximum indoor temperature, enforcement beginning January 2027.
- Dallas: AC must hold rooms to at least 15° cooler than outside, never above 85°F.
- Chicago, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Madison: all set their own heat minimums and entry rules.
- Montgomery County, MD: its own repair-and-deduct rules on top of the state’s rent-escrow system.
Some details for this state are unconfirmed in our research — verify with a local attorney before acting on them.
The 10 urgent calls
Ranked by how fast damage compounds, not by how often they happen. For each: safety first (what to tell the tenant on the phone), your response checklist, and your state’s law (updates with the picker above).
Not sure which trade to call for each emergency? See our companion guide: How to choose the right contractor for every repair — who to call first, what to ask on the phone, ballpark prices, and red flags.
1. Burst pipes and flooding
Water damage compounds by the hour. A pipe that bursts at midnight and isn’t mitigated until morning can turn a $500 plumbing fix into a $15,000 mold-and-drywall rebuild.
- Tell them to shut off the main water valve if they know where it is and can reach it safely — and to stay out of standing water that could be near outlets or panels.
- If water is near anything electrical, they should not touch switches or appliances. Kill power at the breaker only if the panel is dry and safe to reach.
- A bulging ceiling is about to come down. Keep everyone out of that room.
- If the flooding is severe (feet, not inches), they should leave the unit.
Your response checklist
- Go yourself or send someone immediately. This is a drop-everything call.
- Call a water-mitigation company the same day, not just a plumber. Extraction and drying is a separate job from the pipe repair — mold starts within 24–48 hours.
- Photograph everything before cleanup. You’ll need it for insurance and for any dispute about what was damaged when.
- If the unit is uninhabitable, arrange temporary housing. Many states make this the landlord’s cost, excuse the rent, or both.
- Shut off the water at the street if you can’t reach the interior valve — know where your properties’ curb stops are before you need them.
Your state’s law:
- Emergency entry:
2. No heat
The highest-liability emergency in cold weather. No heat in January isn’t just uncomfortable — it’s frozen pipes, carbon-monoxide risk from improvised heating, and in many states an automatic habitability violation.
- Say it explicitly: never heat with the oven, a grill, or a generator indoors. Carbon monoxide is odorless and kills. Tenants do this more often than you think.
- Space heaters: 3 feet of clearance from anything flammable, plugged directly into the wall (never an extension cord or power strip), and off when leaving or sleeping.
- In freezing weather, a no-heat call is also a burst-pipe call waiting to happen — ask whether the pipes sound or look frozen, and tell them to open faucets to a trickle.
Your response checklist
- Same-day response whenever it’s cold outside. Even in states with no fixed deadline, courts read “reasonable time” as hours for no heat in winter.
- Check the simple stuff first: thermostat setting, breaker, pilot light, fuel delivery (oil/propane), filter. Half of no-heat calls are one of these.
- If you can’t restore heat the same day, provide portable heaters or a hotel — and document the offer in writing.
- Know your state’s temperature floor (update the picker above). If you’re below it, you’re in violation the moment the tenant complains.
Your state’s law:
- Heat rule:
3. No water
Total loss of water is an essential-service failure in nearly every state — it sits in the same legal tier as no heat. Partial loss (one fixture) can usually wait for business hours; total loss cannot.
- Sanitation is the immediate issue: no flushing toilets, no handwashing. Provide bottled water for drinking if the outage is on your side of the meter.
- Ask whether neighbors have water. If the whole block is out, it’s the utility — direct the tenant to the utility’s outage line and boil-water notices.
- If it’s just your building, check the obvious: is the water bill paid? An accidental shutoff from your nonpayment is on you, and some states fine landlords for utility shutoffs caused by nonpayment.
Your response checklist
- Same-day response for total loss. Determine fast whether it’s your plumbing or the utility.
- If it’s your plumbing, get a plumber the same day. Total water loss triggers the fastest repair clocks in the states that have them.
- If it’s the utility’s outage, communicate proactively — tenants tolerate outages they’re informed about far better than silence.
- Document when service was restored. Rent abatement and tenant remedies are usually calculated by the day.
Your state’s law:
- Repair-and-deduct:
4. Gas leaks
The one emergency where your job is to keep everyone — including yourself — out of the building. You do not diagnose gas leaks. The utility does.
- The tenant leaves the unit immediately. No flipping switches, no lighting matches, no “checking where it’s coming from.” Electrical arcs ignite gas.
- They call 911 and the gas utility from outside the building — not from inside.
- Nobody re-enters until the utility or fire department clears the building. Not the tenant, not you, not your handyman.
Your response checklist
- Do not enter a unit you suspect is full of gas. Emergency entry rights don’t make it safe — leave it to the utility and fire department.
- Coordinate with the utility. They shut off the gas; then a licensed plumber or HVAC tech makes the repair; then the utility re-lights and pressure-tests.
- After clearance, repair promptly and document. Gas leaks are “imminently hazardous” in every state that uses the term — the fastest repair clocks apply.
- Never let tenants relight pilots or appliances themselves after a gas shutoff.
Your state’s law:
- Emergency entry: — but do not enter a gas-filled unit; let the utility clear it first.
5. Sewage backup
A biohazard, not just a plumbing problem. Raw sewage in a living space makes the unit uninhabitable until professionally cleaned — and it’s one of the few emergencies some states fast-track by name.
- Treat it as a biohazard: no contact with skin, keep kids and pets away, don’t run water or flush until it’s cleared.
- Ventilate if possible, but don’t let anyone stay in the affected rooms.
- Tell them not to try to fix it with chemical drain cleaners — caustic chemicals plus a main-line blockage just creates a chemical hazard on top of a sewage one.
Your response checklist
- Emergency plumber the same day. Sewage doesn’t wait for business hours.
- Professional sanitization after the plumber — not just a mop. Porous materials (carpet, drywall, baseboards) that touched sewage usually have to go.
- Find the cause before you pay the bill. A main-line blockage is the landlord’s. Tenant-caused clogs (wipes, grease) may be billable back to the tenant per your lease — photograph what the plumber pulls out.
- If bathrooms are unusable, arrange alternatives or temporary housing. No working toilet is separately listed as an emergency in states like North Carolina.
Your state’s law:
- Repair-and-deduct:
6. Electrical hazards
Sparking outlets, the smell of burning plastic, breakers that trip repeatedly, whole rooms going dark. Electrical faults start fires — treat every report as a potential fire call until an electrician says otherwise.
- If there’s sparking or the smell of burning: the tenant turns off the breaker for that circuit only if the panel is dry and safe to reach. They don’t touch outlets, fixtures, or anything that feels warm.
- If there’s smoke or heat, they call the fire department — an electrical fire call is a fire call (see #7).
- Unplug what’s plugged into the affected circuit, if it can be done safely.
Your response checklist
- Licensed electrician, same day. Electrical is never a handyman job — and your insurer will want a licensed pro’s name on the invoice if anything happens later.
- If the panel is Federal Pacific or Zinsco, or the building has aluminum branch wiring, tell the electrician in advance — it changes the diagnosis.
- Don’t just reset the breaker and walk away. A breaker that trips repeatedly is doing its job; the fault is still in the wall.
- Check your smoke and CO detectors while you’re at it — most states require working detectors, and an electrical scare is the moment tenants actually want them tested.
Your state’s law:
- Repair-and-deduct:
7. Fire and smoke
The tenant’s job is to get out. Your job starts after the fire department leaves: secure the property, call your insurer, and figure out where your tenants sleep tonight.
- The tenant calls 911 first, gets out, and stays out. Nothing inside is worth going back for.
- After a fire: no re-entry until the fire department clears the structure — smoke damage and weakened structures kill after the flames are out.
- If it’s a smoke or CO detector alarm with no visible fire: they still get out and call 911. A chirping detector is a battery; a sounding alarm is an evacuation.
Your response checklist
- Secure the property within 24 hours. Board up broken windows and doors — vacant fire-damaged units attract break-ins and squatters fast.
- Call your insurer before authorizing major repairs. They may want their own adjuster and have preferred remediation vendors.
- Smoke damage often makes a unit uninhabitable even if the structure stands. Arrange temporary housing and don’t collect rent for days the unit can’t be lived in.
- Get the fire report number for your insurance claim and your records.
- In many states, a tenant can terminate the lease if the unit is destroyed or badly damaged by fire — know your state’s casualty rule before you promise a timeline.
Your state’s law:
- Emergency entry:
8. Broken locks and break-ins
A unit that can’t be secured is an emergency even if nothing else is wrong. This is the one call where a fast, visible response matters most — for the tenant’s safety and for whether they renew.
- If they think someone may still be inside, they leave and call the police. They do not clear the unit themselves.
- Don’t touch anything that might be evidence until police say so.
- If the door won’t lock and police have cleared the scene, tell them you’re sending someone now — and mean it.
Your response checklist
- Secure the unit the same day. A new deadbolt, a temporary door, or a board-up — temporary measures count as a response.
- Get the police report number for your records and any insurance claim.
- Permanent repair and rekey immediately after. Rekeying after a break-in isn’t just good practice — in Texas it’s effectively on a 72-hour clock.
- Check the rest of the property’s security while you’re there: lighting, other locks, windows.
Your state’s law:
- Lock rules:
9. No AC in extreme heat
The law is catching up to the climate on this one. Even where no statute requires air conditioning, a broken AC during a heat wave is a health emergency — treat it like one.
- Know the signs of heat illness: dizziness, nausea, confusion, or hot dry skin mean call 911 — that’s heat stroke, not “being hot.”
- Check proactively on elderly tenants, kids, and anyone with a medical condition during heat waves. Don’t wait for them to call.
- Cooling centers, malls, and libraries are legitimate advice. Hydration and cool showers help. Fans help — until about 95°F, when they just move hot air.
Your response checklist
- Treat it as urgent during extreme heat even where the law doesn’t. A tenant hospitalized for heat stroke is a liability and a retention disaster regardless of statute.
- Portable AC units are a cheap bridge while you wait on parts or a replacement — a $350 window unit beats a $50,000 lawsuit.
- If the unit came with AC, keeping it working is your duty in most states — “no duty to install” is not “no duty to repair.”
- Know your local rule: Phoenix (82°F), New Orleans (80°F max), Dallas (85°F max), LA County (82°F max, enforcement from 2027), and Nevada (AC is an essential service) all go beyond the old “no cooling duty” baseline.
Your state’s law:
- Cooling rules:
10. No working toilet
It sounds less dramatic than a gas leak, but in a one-bathroom unit it makes the home unlivable — and several states list it alongside no heat and no water as an emergency-class defect.
- Sanitation is the issue: if it’s the only toilet, this is a same-day emergency. If there are other working bathrooms, next-day is defensible.
- Tell them to stop flushing a toilet that’s backing up — and not to pour repeated rounds of chemical drain cleaner into a fully blocked toilet. It won’t clear a main-line blockage and it creates a chemical hazard for whoever does.
- If sewage is coming up (not just a clog), treat it as #5 above: biohazard rules apply.
Your response checklist
- Same-day plumber for single-bathroom units. Full stop.
- Determine the cause before paying: tenant-caused clogs (wipes, toys, grease) may be billable per your lease; a failing wax ring, root intrusion, or main-line issue is yours.
- Keep a plunger and a toilet auger on hand if you self-manage nearby — half of toilet calls end in five minutes with an auger.
- Document recurring clogs. The same toilet backing up every two months is a system problem, not a tenant problem.
Your state’s law:
- Repair-and-deduct:
Emergency response clocks, state by state
Most states say “reasonable time” and leave it to judges. These are the states that put actual numbers on the clock — the ones that matter most when a tenant’s attorney is counting days:
| State | The clock | What triggers it |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 24 hours / 72 hours / 10 days | No heat, hot/cold water, electricity, or imminently hazardous defect / refrigerator, range/oven, major plumbing fixture / all other repairs |
| Utah | 24 hours | Dangerous conditions — substantial risk of imminent loss of life or significant physical harm; landlord must begin remedial action |
| Nevada | 48 hours (excluding weekends/holidays) | Essential services: heat, AC, running water, hot water, electricity, gas, functioning door locks |
| Hawaii | 3 business days / 12 business days | Electrical, plumbing, sanitary, appliances / other material defects |
| Oregon | 48 hours / 7 days | Imminent, serious threat to health or safety / essential services |
| Massachusetts | 24 hours | After a board-of-health inspection orders a good-faith fix of a serious violation |
| Montana | 3 working days | Emergencies — tenant may terminate if not fixed |
| Texas | 7 days presumed reasonable | Rebutted by severity; no waiting period for sewage backup, flooding, or total water loss |
| Virginia | 24 hours (defined) / 14 days | Statute defines “emergency condition” as needing remedy within 24 hours; repair-and-deduct trigger is 14 days |
| Rhode Island | As promptly as conditions require | Emergencies waive the normal 20-day repair-and-deduct wait |
| Arizona | 10 days | “Or as promptly as conditions require in case of emergency” |
| Oklahoma | 14 days | “As promptly as conditions require in the case of an emergency” |
| Kentucky | 14 days | “Or as promptly as conditions require in case of emergency” — URLTA counties only |
| Maine | 14 days | “Or as promptly as conditions require in case of emergency” |
| Illinois | 14 days | “More promptly as conditions require in the case of an emergency” |
| Missouri | 14 days | “Or as promptly as required in case of an emergency” — local code violation required |
| California | 30 days presumed | “Reasonable time” — much shorter for emergencies (e.g., 1–2 days for a broken furnace in cold weather) |
| Delaware | 48 hours / 10–30 days | Essential services / general repairs |
| Connecticut | 48 hours | Substitute housing if essential services aren’t restored within 48 hours |
| New York (NYC) | 24 hours | Immediately hazardous (Class C) violations like no heat or no water, after HPD issues the violation notice |
Every other state uses a “reasonable time” standard. In practice, courts read that as same-day for the emergencies on this page — waiting a week on no heat in January is not reasonable anywhere.
Can you enter without notice in an emergency?
In most states, yes — emergency entry without notice is expressly allowed. But seven states have no entry-notice statute at all (Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Arkansas, Louisiana, Wyoming, West Virginia), plus a few more with thin rules. If your state is in that group, your lease is the rulebook: write an explicit emergency-entry clause into every lease (“landlord may enter without notice to respond to fire, flooding, gas leak, or other emergency threatening persons or property”).
Two warnings that apply everywhere: emergency entry is for emergencies — several states penalize landlords who abuse it (Washington: $100 per violation; Minnesota: up to $500) — and never enter a unit you believe is full of gas or structurally unsafe; entry rights don’t make it safe.
| State | Normal notice | Emergency entry |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2 days | Allowed — no notice required |
| Alaska | 24 hours | Allowed without consent |
| Arizona | 2 days | Allowed |
| Arkansas | No statute | No statute — put it in the lease |
| California | 24 hours | Allowed — no notice to respond to an emergency |
| Colorado | No general statute | Allowed in practice — put it in the lease |
| Connecticut | Reasonable | Allowed without notice |
| Delaware | 48 hours (8am–9pm) | Allowed “at any time” |
| Florida | 24 hours (7:30am–8pm) | Allowed at any time to protect/preserve the premises |
| Georgia | No statute | Allowed by guidance; 24 hours recommended otherwise |
| Hawaii | 2 days | Allowed |
| Idaho | No statute | No statute — lease governs |
| Illinois | No state statute | No state statute — lease and local ordinances govern |
| Indiana | Reasonable | Allowed without notice |
| Iowa | 24 hours | Allowed without consent |
| Kansas | Reasonable | Without consent only for “extreme hazard involving potential loss of life or severe property damage” |
| Kentucky | 2 days | Allowed without consent (URLTA counties) |
| Louisiana | No statute | No statute — lease governs |
| Maine | 24 hours presumed reasonable | Allowed without notice |
| Maryland | No state statute | 24 hours is the custom; emergencies excepted |
| Massachusetts | 48 hours | No notice required for emergency repairs |
| Michigan | No statute | Common practice — put it in the lease |
| Minnesota | 24 hours | Allowed; written post-entry disclosure required; $500 per violation |
| Mississippi | No statute | Allowed by practice — put it in the lease |
| Missouri | No statute | No statute — lease governs |
| Montana | 24 hours | Allowed |
| Nebraska | 24 hours | Emergency exception (statutory wording unverified) |
| Nevada | 24 hours | Allowed |
| New Hampshire | Tenant’s consent | Entry requires consent except for emergency repairs |
| New Jersey | 1 day | Immediate access for safety/structural emergencies |
| New Mexico | 24 hours | Allowed without consent |
| New York | No state statute | 24 hours’ notice is the NYC convention; emergencies excepted |
| North Carolina | No statute | Accepted practice — put it in the lease |
| North Dakota | Reasonable | Allowed “at any time” |
| Ohio | 24 hours presumed reasonable | Allowed |
| Oklahoma | 24 hours | Allowed |
| Oregon | 24 hours | Allowed |
| Pennsylvania | No statute | No statute — your lease is the rulebook |
| Rhode Island | 2 days | Allowed |
| South Carolina | 24 hours | Allowed |
| South Dakota | 24 hours | Allowed |
| Tennessee | 24 hours | Allowed; emergency = “sudden, generally unexpected occurrence demanding immediate action” |
| Texas | No statute | No statute — put emergency terms in the lease |
| Utah | 24 hours | No express emergency exception — write one into the lease |
| Vermont | 48 hours | Allowed on “reasonable belief of imminent danger to any person or property” |
| Virginia | 24 hours | No notice when “impractical due to an emergency” |
| Washington | 2 days | Allowed without consent; $100 per access-abuse violation |
| West Virginia | No statute | No statute — common law |
| Wisconsin | 12 hours | Allowed |
| Wyoming | No statute | No statute — tenant may not unreasonably deny access |
Repair-and-deduct caps, all 50 states
When a tenant fixes an emergency you didn’t and deducts the cost from rent, the cap and the conditions come from this table. The conditions matter as much as the cap: written notice first, licensed contractors, waiting periods, and per-year limits are where tenants (and landlords) most often get it wrong.
| State | Cap | Key condition |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Not available | No withholding either — termination after 14 days |
| Alaska | No cap | Essential services only; immediate after written notice |
| Arizona | $300 or ½ month’s rent (greater) | 10 days’ written notice |
| Arkansas | Not available | Sole remedy is termination after 30 days |
| California | 1 month’s rent | Max twice per 12 months |
| Colorado | No cap | 10 days’ notice; 48 hours for life/health/safety threats |
| Connecticut | No cap (actual reasonable cost) | Essential services only |
| Delaware | $400 or ½ month’s rent (lesser) | 10/30-day notice periods |
| Florida | No general right | Tenants must not repair and deduct |
| Georgia | Case-law only | Get legal advice before relying on it |
| Hawaii | $500 | Written notice first |
| Idaho | Not generally available | Smoke detectors only |
| Illinois | $500 or ½ month’s rent (lesser) | 14 days’ notice |
| Indiana | Not available | Court-based remedies only |
| Iowa | 1 month’s rent | 7 days’ notice before rent due date |
| Kansas | Not available | — |
| Kentucky | $100 or ½ month’s rent (greater) | 14 days’ notice; URLTA counties only |
| Louisiana | No cap | Cost must be reasonable |
| Maine | $500 or ½ month’s rent (greater) | Certified mail; 14 days’ notice |
| Maryland | No general state right | Rent escrow through District Court instead |
| Massachusetts | 4 months’ rent per year | Highest cap found; board-of-health certification process |
| Michigan | Case-law; cap unconfirmed | Risky without legal advice |
| Minnesota | Court-based | Not a do-it-yourself deduction |
| Mississippi | Reimbursement within 45 days | 30 days’ written notice first |
| Missouri | $300 or ½ month’s rent (greater); 1 month’s rent max | 6-month tenancy; once per 12 months; local code violation required |
| Montana | 1 month’s rent | — |
| Nebraska | Not generally available | Essential-services procure-and-deduct only |
| Nevada | No cap (essential) / $100 or 1 month’s rent (greater, other defects) | 48 hours’ written notice for essential services |
| New Hampshire | Not available | Court petition instead |
| New Jersey | No cap | Cost must be reasonable (judge-made rule) |
| New Mexico | Not available | Rent abatement instead |
| New York | No general right | Risky without legal advice |
| North Carolina | Not available | Court-based remedies only |
| North Dakota | No cap | — |
| Ohio | Not available | Court rent escrow instead |
| Oklahoma | 1 month’s rent | 14 days’ notice |
| Oregon | $300 | Minor defects only |
| Pennsylvania | No statute | Limited court recognition — risky |
| Rhode Island | $500/year aggregate | Emergencies waive the 20-day wait |
| South Carolina | Not for general repairs | Essential-service procure-and-deduct only |
| South Dakota | No cap | — |
| Tennessee | Not for general repairs | Essential-service procure-and-deduct only |
| Texas | 1 month’s rent or $500 (greater) | Per incident; fast-track (no wait) for sewage, flooding, total water loss |
| Utah | 2 months’ rent | — |
| Vermont | ½ month’s rent | Minor defects only |
| Virginia | $1,500 or 1 month’s rent (greater) | Licensed contractor required |
| Washington | 2 months’ rent (licensed) / 1 month’s rent (DIY) | Per repair; 12-month caps apply |
| West Virginia | Not available | — |
| Wisconsin | Not available | Report to local inspectors |
| Wyoming | Not available | Court-ordered termination or repairs |
Even where repair-and-deduct exists, tenants usually must give written notice and a waiting period first — and deducting without following the process can be treated as unpaid rent. When in doubt, fix it yourself before the tenant fixes it for you.
Heat minimums: the states with actual numbers
About a third of states put a number on it. Everywhere else the standard is “reasonable heat” — and your city may have a number even when your state doesn’t.
| State | Minimum | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | 65°F | Year-round (per the state’s official tenant guide) |
| Maine | Heating capable of 68°F at −20°F outside | — |
| Massachusetts | 68°F day / 64°F overnight | Sept 15 – June 15 |
| Minnesota | 68°F | Oct 1 – Apr 30 |
| New Jersey | 68°F day / 65°F overnight | Oct 1 – May 1 |
| North Carolina | 65°F when it’s 20°F outside | Nov 1 – Mar 31 |
| Rhode Island | 68°F | Oct 1 – May 1 |
| Tennessee | 68°F at 18 inches above floor level | Ordinary winter conditions |
| Vermont | 65°F (heat required when outside is below 55°F) | — |
| New York (NYC) | 68°F day (when outside below 55°F) / 62°F overnight | Oct 1 – May 31 |
| Louisiana (New Orleans) | 68°F | City ordinance |
| California | 70°F widely cited | Verify against your city’s housing code — the statewide basis is unconfirmed |
| Ohio (many cities) | 68°F | City codes (e.g., Fairview Park) |
| Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) | 68°F | City code |
| Wisconsin (Milwaukee/Madison) | 67°F | City ordinances |
| Washington (Seattle) | 65°F (58°F in extreme cold) | City code |
Cooling: where the law is moving
The old rule — no state requires landlords to install AC — is still technically true in most places, but it’s eroding fast:
- Nevada classifies air-conditioning as an essential service with the 48-hour fix rule.
- Arizona requires landlords to maintain cooling where provided, when seasonal weather requires it; Phoenix requires rentals to cool to 82°F (86°F for evaporative coolers).
- New Orleans requires cooling that holds bedrooms to a maximum of 80°F.
- Los Angeles County (unincorporated) caps indoor temperatures at 82°F, with enforcement beginning January 2027.
- Palm Springs requires cooling to 80°F.
- Dallas requires AC capable of holding rooms to at least 15°F below outside, never above 85°F.
- Minnesota added nonfunctioning AC (“if applicable”) to its emergency list in 2023, opening expedited court relief.
- Oregon doesn’t require AC but gives tenants the right to bring portable units.
- Georgia doesn’t require cooling, but classifies it as a protected “utility” the landlord may not discontinue.
- California’s AB 2616 (statewide cooling standards) was pending as of our research — it is not law.
The practical takeaway: if the unit came with AC, keep it working. “No duty to install” has never meant “no duty to repair,” and during a heat wave a broken AC is a health emergency whether or not a statute says so.
Locks and security: what you actually owe
Lock duties are the most scattered part of landlord-tenant law — detailed in a few states, silent in many. The states with real teeth:
- Texas has the most detailed lock statute in the country: deadbolts, peepholes, and window latches; rekey within 7 days of a new tenant; and a 72-hour presumption for requested security work after a break-in.
- Oregon requires working locks on all entrance doors and latches on exterior windows.
- Nevada treats functioning door locks as an essential service (48-hour fix rule).
- North Carolina lists missing locks on outside doors as an “imminently dangerous condition.”
- California requires deadbolts on main entry doors and window locking mechanisms.
- Massachusetts treats inadequate entry-door locks as a sanitary-code violation.
- Colorado requires exterior-door locks and window security devices to be maintained.
- Washington requires “reasonably adequate locks.”
- Alaska and Montana require locks “if requested by the tenant.”
- Cook County, IL requires rekeying between tenants.
And the line that matters everywhere: changing the locks to force a tenant out is illegal in all 50 states. See below.
What you must never do
No matter how urgent the situation — or how far behind the rent — you may not:
- Change the locks or lock a tenant out to force them to leave or to pressure them about repairs.
- Shut off utilities (water, heat, electricity, gas) to force action.
- Remove doors, windows, or the tenant’s belongings as leverage.
Self-help eviction is illegal in every state, and the penalties are designed to hurt:
| State | Penalty for lockout / utility shutoff |
|---|---|
| California | $100/day commonly cited (verify) plus actual damages |
| Colorado | 3× monthly rent or $5,000 |
| Delaware | Triple damages |
| Florida | Actual damages or 3 months’ rent |
| Hawaii | 3× monthly rent or $1,000 |
| Iowa | Actual damages plus punitive up to 2 months’ rent |
| Massachusetts | 3 months’ rent or 3× actual damages plus fees |
| Minnesota | Treble damages or $500 |
| Nevada | Up to $2,500 for retaliatory acts |
| Rhode Island | 3 months’ rent or 3× damages |
| Washington | $100/day for utility shutoffs plus actual damages |
| Wisconsin | Double the loss plus attorney’s fees |
The legal route is the same everywhere: notice, court filing, sheriff. It’s slower, and that’s the point.
Related: What to do when rent is late — the 50-state landlord guide.
Frequently asked questions
How fast must I respond to an emergency repair?
There’s no national standard. A few states set hard clocks (Washington’s 24/72/10-day tiers, Utah’s 24-hour dangerous-condition rule, Nevada’s 48-hour essential-services rule). Everywhere else the standard is “reasonable time,” which courts read as same-day for true emergencies. Treat everything on this page as same-day regardless of your state’s wording.
Can my tenant withhold rent over an unrepaired emergency?
Depends on the state — and getting it wrong can trigger an eviction filing. Some states clearly allow it (Vermont), some allow repair-and-deduct instead (capped everywhere from $300 in Oregon to no cap in Alaska, North Dakota, and South Dakota), and some forbid withholding entirely (Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, North Carolina). Select your state above for the rule that applies.
Can I enter without notice in an emergency?
In most states, yes. But Texas, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Arkansas, Louisiana, Wyoming, and West Virginia have no entry-notice statute at all — there, your lease is the rulebook, so write an explicit emergency-entry clause into it.
Do I have to provide air conditioning?
Usually no — but if the unit came with AC, you must keep it working, and a growing list of cities and states (Nevada, Phoenix, New Orleans, Dallas, LA County from 2027) go further. During extreme heat, treat a broken AC as urgent regardless.
What temperature must I keep the heat at?
Anywhere from 65°F to 68°F in the states with codified minimums — see the heat table above — or simply “reasonable heat” where there’s no number. Your city’s code often sets a number even when your state doesn’t.
Can I change the locks on a tenant?
To force them out: never, in any state. As a security duty: often yes, and sometimes you must — Texas, Oregon, Nevada, California, and North Carolina all impose specific lock obligations.
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