Repair Request Letter to Landlord

When to use this letter

Use it when something in your home needs fixing and a quick call or text hasn’t solved it, or when the problem is serious enough that you want a dated record from the start. Leaks, mold, pests, no heat or hot water, broken appliances, electrical problems and broken locks are the usual reasons.

A written request does two things: it tells your landlord exactly what’s wrong, and it shows when you asked. That date matters if the problem gets worse or if your state’s rules depend on notice.

How to use the generator

1. Add your details and your landlord’s. Use the address your lease gives for notices, if it has one.
2. Pick the problem and say where it is in your home.
3. Describe what’s happening in plain words: what you see, when it happens and how it affects you.
4. Add your dates: when you noticed it, when you first reported it and when you’d like it fixed.
5. Say when someone can let a repair person in, then download the PDF or copy the text.

Your answers stay in your browser. A draft is saved on this device until you press Clear.

Sample letter

Here’s a finished letter made with the generator. The names and addresses are made up.

What makes a repair request work

• One problem per letter, or a short list if several things need fixing. Each one is easier to track that way.
• Facts, not feelings. “Water drips from the pipe whenever the faucet runs” is more useful than “the sink is a disaster.”
• Dates. When you noticed it and when you first asked are the two dates that matter most.
• Photos. Take them before anything is cleaned up, and keep the originals with their dates.
• A clear ask. A date for the repair, or at least a written answer on when it will happen.
• Access. Saying when someone can come in removes the most common reason for a delay.

For mold or pests, also mention anything that may be causing it, like a leak, a damp wall or a gap under a door, and ask for the cause to be fixed as well.

How to send it and keep a record

• Follow your lease. Some leases say where and how repair requests and notices must go.
• Email or the landlord’s portal gives you a dated copy right away. Save a screenshot or the confirmation.
• Mail with proof gives you a record that it was sent. Certified Mail costs $5.55 on top of postage, plus $4.65 for a paper return receipt that shows who signed for it (USPS prices from Oct 4, 2026). In Texas, how the first notice was sent changes what you need to do next (see below).
• Keep a file: the letter, the replies, photos, receipts and notes of every call, with dates.

If nothing happens

Follow up in writing, refer to the date of your first letter and attach a copy. If the problem affects your health or safety, your city or county housing or code enforcement office may be able to inspect. In New York City, HPD tells tenants without heat or hot water to contact the landlord first and then call 311.

Don’t stop paying rent or make repairs yourself and deduct the cost unless you’ve checked that your state allows it and you’ve followed every step it requires. If you need help, USAGov explains how to find free or low-cost legal aid.

What the law says in a few places

Most states expect rental homes to be fit to live in, but the details and the steps differ. A few examples:

• Texas: the landlord has to make a diligent effort to repair a condition that materially affects an ordinary tenant's health or safety once you give notice to the person or place where you pay rent, if your rent is current. To use the tenant remedies, you generally need a second written notice unless the first went by certified mail or another tracked mail service. A repair within 7 days is presumed to be a reasonable time. (Property Code 92.052 and 92.056)
• California: a home that substantially lacks basics such as weatherproofing, plumbing, hot and cold water, heating, safe wiring, or a building free of rodents and vermin counts as untenantable. Visible mold comes in through the housing code it refers to. For leases signed, changed or renewed on or after Jan 1, 2026, the list also includes a stove and a refrigerator in good working order, and a recalled one has to be repaired or replaced within 30 days of the landlord getting notice of the recall. Some housing is exempt, such as single-room occupancy units and units with shared kitchens. You can choose in the lease to bring your own refrigerator, but the landlord can't require it. (Civil Code 1941.1)
• New York: every residential lease carries a warranty that the home is fit to live in and free of conditions dangerous to your life, health or safety. (Real Property Law 235-b)
• New York City: from Oct 1 to May 31, it must be at least 68°F inside from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. when it's below 55°F outside, and at least 62°F at night. Hot water must be at least 120°F all year. Contact your landlord first, then 311. (NYC HPD, heat and hot water)

These are examples, not a complete list. Your lease and your state’s law decide what your landlord has to fix, how fast and what you can do if they don’t.