Nebraska landlord repair laws
What your landlord is required to fix, how long they have once you put it in writing, and what Nebraskalaw lets you do if they don't.
The deadline
14 days after written notice
Under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1425(1), the rental agreement terminates on a date not less than thirty days after your receipt of this notice if the breach is not remedied in fourteen days.
Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1419 · Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1425
What your landlord must maintain
Under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1419, a landlord must substantially comply with applicable minimum housing codes materially affecting health and safety, make all repairs necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition, maintain all systems 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 prepaid rent and my deposit, and recover damages and obtain injunctive relief under § 76-1425(2) — including reasonable attorney's fees if the noncompliance is willful — or, as an alternative where you deliberately or negligently fail to supply running water, hot water, heat or essential services, procure those services and deduct their actual and reasonable cost from rent, recover diminution-in-fair-rental-value damages, or procure substitute housing and be excused from rent, under § 76-1427.
Nebraska 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
Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1439 prohibits a landlord from retaliating by increasing rent, decreasing services, or bringing or threatening an action for possession after a tenant has complained to a government agency charged with enforcement of a building or housing code, or has organized or joined a tenants' union — with the remedies of § 76-1430, including three months' periodic rent as liquidated damages and a reasonable attorney's fee, and a defense to an action for possession.
Limits and exceptions
Nebraska's act provides no general repair-and-deduct remedy; the only self-help deduction is the essential-services remedy of § 76-1427, and under § 76-1427(2) a tenant who proceeds under it may not also proceed under § 76-1425 as to the same breach. Note that Nebraska's list of protected retaliation acts does not include a complaint made only to the landlord, so a complaint to the local code authority is what starts that protection.
Put it in writing — the way the statute expects
We'll write your notice citing Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1419, 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 Nebraska repair noticeCommon questions
- How long does a landlord have to make repairs in Nebraska?
- Under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1425(1), the rental agreement terminates on a date not less than thirty days after your receipt of this notice if the breach is not remedied in fourteen 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 Nebraska?
- Nebraska 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 prepaid rent and my deposit, and recover damages and obtain injunctive relief under § 76-1425(2) — including reasonable attorney's fees if the noncompliance is willful — or, as an alternative where you deliberately or negligently fail to supply running water, hot water, heat or essential services, procure those services and deduct their actual and reasonable cost from rent, recover diminution-in-fair-rental-value damages, or procure substitute housing and be excused from rent, under § 76-1427.
- Can my landlord retaliate if I ask for repairs in Nebraska?
- Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1439 prohibits a landlord from retaliating by increasing rent, decreasing services, or bringing or threatening an action for possession after a tenant has complained to a government agency charged with enforcement of a building or housing code, or has organized or joined a tenants' union — with the remedies of § 76-1430, including three months' periodic rent as liquidated damages and a reasonable attorney's fee, and a defense to an action for possession.
- Do I have to put a repair request in writing in Nebraska?
- Yes — and it is the single most important step. Under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1425, 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 Nebraska rental?
Nebraska gives your landlord 14 days to return your security deposit under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1416. See the deposit rules →
Verified against Nebraska's published statute text on August 11, 2026 — read the statute yourself. General information, not legal advice. We are not a law firm.