Housing · Repair and Deduct
Repair and Deduct in Utah
How much of the rent a tenant can spend on a repair and subtract in Utah, how often, the notice required, and the alternative if the state has no statutory remedy. Cited to the statute.
How repair and deduct works in Utah
The cost cap or the alternative remedy, the notice steps, and the limits that apply.
| How it works | What it means |
|---|---|
| Elect the remedy in the written notice | The Fit Premises Act offers rent abatement or repair-and-deduct, and the renter’s written notice must name which one the renter has chosen before the owner’s corrective period begins. It must also describe each defect and grant the owner permission to enter. |
| Short notice periods, by breach type | The corrective period is three calendar days for a breach of the statutory habitability standards and ten for a breach of the rental agreement. For a dangerous condition the owner must begin remedial action within 24 hours. |
| Cap: up to two months’ rent | The renter may deduct from future rent the amount paid to correct the condition, not to exceed an amount equal to two months’ rent. No separate annual ceiling appears in the section. |
| Turn over receipts within five days | The renter must keep all receipts and give the owner copies within five calendar days after the beginning of the next rental period. It is a short and easily missed deadline. |
| Limits and alternatives | What it means |
|---|---|
| Any duty breach can disqualify you | A renter is not entitled to a remedy if not in compliance with all requirements of §57-22-5, the renter’s own duties list. That is broader than a simple you-broke-it carve-out and can switch the section off entirely. |
| Abatement means moving out | If the renter instead elects rent abatement, rent stops accruing and the agreement terminates, and the renter must vacate within ten calendar days after the corrective period ends. Abatement does not mean paying less. |
What you can do right now
Concrete, neutral steps if the landlord will not repair in Utah. This is legal information, not legal advice.
- Write a notice that names repair-and-deduct
Your notice must describe each deficient condition, state the corrective period, name repair-and-deduct as your chosen remedy, and grant the owner permission to enter to fix it.
- Wait the right period, three or ten days
Give three days for a statutory habitability breach or ten for a lease breach. A dangerous condition requires the owner to begin action within 24 hours.
- Correct the condition and keep every receipt
Deduct only what you paid, up to two months’ rent, and give the owner copies of the receipts within five calendar days after the next rental period begins.
- Confirm your own compliance with §57-22-5
Because any breach of your renter duties can disqualify you, a Utah legal-aid office or attorney can check your position first. The resource below can point you to help.
Repair remedies have strict notice steps, and using the wrong one can put your tenancy at risk. This resource can connect you with a tenant hotline or a licensed attorney.
→ Utah Legal ServicesThis is general legal information, not legal advice. Notice steps, caps, and local ordinances can change the answer, so confirm your situation with a tenant resource or a licensed attorney.
What Utah tenants get wrong about repair and deduct
Utah gives renters two months’ rent, which is among the most generous figures anywhere, on a three-day clock, which is the shortest anywhere. The catch sits in two places most guides skip. Under §57-22-6 the renter has to pick their remedy in the notice, before knowing whether the landlord will act, and rent abatement in Utah does not mean paying less. It means the tenancy ends and the renter has ten days to move out. So the choice between abatement and repair-and-deduct is really a choice between leaving and staying. The three-day period applies to breaches of the statutory habitability standards, with ten days for a lease breach and a 24-hour start for a dangerous condition. If the renter repairs, they must keep every receipt and hand copies to the owner within five calendar days after the next rental period begins, a deadline that is easy to miss. And the whole section switches off if the renter is out of compliance with any of their own duties under §57-22-5, which is a much wider trapdoor than the usual you-broke-it-you-pay rule. This text was read on a mirror current to January 2026, so confirm it against an official Utah source before relying on it.
Common questions
Which remedy should I choose in my Utah notice?
You must name either rent abatement or repair-and-deduct in the notice itself. Repair-and-deduct lets you stay and recover up to two months’ rent, while abatement ends the tenancy.
Does rent abatement mean I have to move out?
Yes. In Utah, electing rent abatement terminates the agreement, and the renter must vacate within ten calendar days after the corrective period expires. It is not a way to pay less and stay.
Is it three days or ten days for my problem?
Three calendar days for a breach of the statutory habitability standards, ten for a breach of the rental agreement, and 24 hours for the owner to begin acting on a dangerous condition.
What in §57-22-5 could disqualify me?
Section 57-22-5 lists the renter’s own duties. Being out of compliance with any of them can remove your remedy entirely, so it is worth confirming you are current on all of them first.
Not legal advicePlainStatute provides plain-language summaries of public law for general information only. This is not legal advice. Statutes change; always confirm current requirements with the official source linked above before acting.