Are there any limitations on the landlords duty to keep the rental unit habitable?
Yes. Even if one of the conditions listed above exists and makes the rental unit not livable, a landlord may not be legally required to repair the condition if the tenant has not fulfilled the tenant’s own responsibilities. In addition to generally requiring a tenant to take reasonable care of the rental unit and common grounds, the law specifically lists certain things that a tenant must do to keep the rental unit livable. If a tenant fails to do one of these things, and the tenant’s failure has either substantially caused the unlivable condition to occur, or has substantially interfered with the landlord’s ability to repair the unlivable condition, the landlord has no duty to repair the condition.
