HB 191 Summary

• Allows tenants to file an action to pay rent into Justice of the Peace Court escrow if landlords fail to repair conditions threatening health, safety, or life within 30 days of written notice, or to initiate corrective measures within 10 days.

• Permits tenants to repair rental unit defects themselves and deduct reasonable costs (not exceeding $400 or half of one month's rent, whichever is less) from rent after providing landlord written notice.

• Establishes that tenants may withhold two-thirds of daily rent during periods when essential services (hot water, heat, water, or electricity) are not supplied for 48 hours or more after notice.

• Provides Justice of the Peace Court authority to order rent abatement, award attorney's fees to tenants, award moving costs, or dismiss actions based on findings of fact regarding repair failures or essential service deprivation.

• Defines conditions threatening life, health, or safety (lack of sewage, pest infestation in multiple units, structural defects, lead paint, fire hazards) versus non-threatening aesthetic defects, and allows tenants to raise these conditions as affirmative defenses in landlord possession or nonpayment actions.