Real Estate - Leases - Tenant Remedies

If the landlord has breached the lease by failing to meet the duties as a landlord under the lease, certain remedies arise in favor of the tenant.

a) The tenant may sue the landlord for damages sustained as a result of the breach.

b) If a landlord fails to maintain a leased residence in a livable condition, the tenant may be able to vacate the premises and terminate the lease.

c) Also, the failure of a landlord to comply substantially with local housing codes may be a breach of the landlord's "implied warranty of habitability."