Kansas landlord repair laws
What your landlord is required to fix, how long they have once you put it in writing, and what Kansaslaw lets you do if they don't.
The deadline
14 days after written notice
Under K.S.A. 58-2559, if you do not adequately initiate a good-faith effort to remedy the condition within fourteen days after receipt of this notice, the rental agreement terminates on the periodic rent-paying date stated above, which is not less than thirty days after receipt.
K.S.A. 58-2553 · K.S.A. 58-2559
What your landlord must maintain
Under K.S.A. 58-2553, a landlord must comply with building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety, maintain all electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating and air-conditioning appliances in good and safe working order, and supply running water and reasonable amounts of hot water at all times and reasonable 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, recover damages and obtain injunctive relief under K.S.A. 58-2559, and assert this noncompliance by counterclaim under K.S.A. 58-2561.
Kansas 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
K.S.A. 58-2572 prohibits a landlord from increasing rent or decreasing services in retaliation against a tenant who has complained to the landlord of a violation of K.S.A. 58-2553, gives the tenant the remedies of K.S.A. 58-2563 — not more than one and one-half months' periodic rent or the damages sustained, whichever is greater — and provides a defense in an action for possession.
Limits and exceptions
Kansas provides no repair-and-deduct remedy, so this letter does not claim one. Under K.S.A. 58-2561 a tenant sued for nonpayment must raise this claim as a counterclaim or it is deemed waived.
Put it in writing — the way the statute expects
We'll write your notice citing K.S.A. 58-2553, 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 Kansas repair noticeCommon questions
- How long does a landlord have to make repairs in Kansas?
- Under K.S.A. 58-2559, if you do not adequately initiate a good-faith effort to remedy the condition within fourteen days after receipt of this notice, the rental agreement terminates on the periodic rent-paying date stated above, which is not less than thirty days after receipt. 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 Kansas?
- Kansas 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, recover damages and obtain injunctive relief under K.S.A. 58-2559, and assert this noncompliance by counterclaim under K.S.A. 58-2561.
- Can my landlord retaliate if I ask for repairs in Kansas?
- K.S.A. 58-2572 prohibits a landlord from increasing rent or decreasing services in retaliation against a tenant who has complained to the landlord of a violation of K.S.A. 58-2553, gives the tenant the remedies of K.S.A. 58-2563 — not more than one and one-half months' periodic rent or the damages sustained, whichever is greater — and provides a defense in an action for possession.
- Do I have to put a repair request in writing in Kansas?
- Yes — and it is the single most important step. Under K.S.A. 58-2559, 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 Kansas rental?
Kansas gives your landlord 30 days to return your security deposit under Kan. Stat. § 58-2550. See the deposit rules →
Verified against Kansas's published statute text on August 11, 2026 — read the statute yourself. General information, not legal advice. We are not a law firm.