What are the landlord’s duties to maintain the premises?
Traditionally the landlord had no duty to maintain the premises. In most states modern landlord-tenant law grants the tenant an implied warranty of habitablity. Under the Uniform Residential Landlord-Tenant Act, adopted in dozens of states, a landlord has a duty to keep the premises habitable at all times during the tenancy. Even in states that have not adopted the Uniform Residential Landlord-Tenant Act, usually the courts or other state laws have imposed such a warranty. Local municipal or county laws may impose greater or additional requirements.
