Alaska landlord repair laws
What your landlord is required to fix, how long they have once you put it in writing, and what Alaskalaw lets you do if they don't.
The deadline
10 days after written notice
Under AS 34.03.160(a), the rental agreement terminates on a date not less than 20 days after your receipt of this notice if the breach is not remedied in 10 days.
AS 34.03.100 · AS 34.03.160, AS 34.03.180
What your landlord must maintain
Under AS 34.03.100, a landlord must make all repairs and do whatever is necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition, maintain electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating and ventilating facilities and appliances, and supply running water, reasonable hot water and heat.
Conditions the statute covers
- ✓No working heat
- ✓No running water
- ✓No hot water
- ✓Electrical system not working or unsafe
- ✓Plumbing not in working order
- ✓Sewage backup or unsanitary conditions
- ✓Air conditioning not working (where supplied)
- ✓Supplied appliances not working — stove, refrigerator
- ✓Unsafe floors, stairs, railings, ceiling, or roof
- ✓Roof, window, or plumbing leak causing damage
- ✓Mold growth
- ✓Rodent or insect infestation
- ✓Common areas unsafe or unsanitary
- ✓No garbage receptacles or removal
- ✓Broken exterior door, window, or lock
- ✓Building or housing code violation
What you can do about it
Once written notice has been given and the statutory period has passed, you may terminate the rental agreement, and recover damages and obtain injunctive relief under AS 34.03.160(b) — or, as an alternative where you deliberately or negligently fail to supply an essential service, procure the service and deduct its actual and reasonable cost, recover diminution-in-value damages, or procure substitute housing under AS 34.03.180.
Alaska has no repair-and-deduct remedy. Paying for a repair and subtracting the cost from your rent is not authorized here, and doing it anyway can put your tenancy at risk. Use the remedies the statute actually provides.
Retaliation is illegal
AS 34.03.310 prohibits retaliatory conduct, with the remedies of AS 34.03.210 and a defense to an action for possession.
Limits and exceptions
Under AS 34.03.180(b) a tenant who proceeds on the essential-services remedy may not also proceed under AS 34.03.160 as to that same breach — the two paths are an election, not a stack. Under AS 34.03.100(b) a landlord of a single-family residence in an undeveloped rural area, or where public sewer or water has never been connected, is not liable for the water and sanitary-facility duties, and under AS 34.03.100(c) the landlord and tenant of a one- or two-family residence may agree in writing that the tenant perform several of the landlord's duties.
Put it in writing — the way the statute expects
We'll write your notice citing AS 34.03.100, the deadline it gives your landlord, and what happens if they miss it. Free to generate and download. If you want it sent USPS Certified Mail with tracking, we do that too.
Write my Alaska repair noticeCommon questions
- How long does a landlord have to make repairs in Alaska?
- Under AS 34.03.160(a), the rental agreement terminates on a date not less than 20 days after your receipt of this notice if the breach is not remedied in 10 days. That clock starts when your landlord receives written notice — which is why how you send it matters.
- Can I withhold rent or repair it myself in Alaska?
- Alaska does not provide a repair-and-deduct remedy — paying for a repair and subtracting it from rent is not something the statute allows here, and doing it can put your tenancy at risk. Your remedies are terminate the rental agreement, and recover damages and obtain injunctive relief under AS 34.03.160(b) — or, as an alternative where you deliberately or negligently fail to supply an essential service, procure the service and deduct its actual and reasonable cost, recover diminution-in-value damages, or procure substitute housing under AS 34.03.180.
- Can my landlord retaliate if I ask for repairs in Alaska?
- AS 34.03.310 prohibits retaliatory conduct, with the remedies of AS 34.03.210 and a defense to an action for possession.
- Do I have to put a repair request in writing in Alaska?
- Yes — and it is the single most important step. Under AS 34.03.160, AS 34.03.180, the landlord's obligations and your remedies run from written notice. A text message or a phone call generally leaves you arguing about whether and when your landlord was told.
Moving out of this Alaska rental?
Alaska gives your landlord 14 days to return your security deposit under Alaska Stat. § 34.03.070. See the deposit rules →
Verified against Alaska's published statute text on August 11, 2026 — read the statute yourself. General information, not legal advice. We are not a law firm.