Am I legally allowed to withhold my rent payment from my landlord if?
Am I legally allowed to withhold my rent payment from my landlord if they are not meeting necessary codes or violating our lease agreement? No. Not unless: Your lease says that youre allowed to. (It doesnt.) Your local laws permit it. (They probably dont.) There are some strategies that lawyers might adviceputting the entire amount owed into an escrow account, for example. Id be very, very, very cautious before doing something like that. Make absolutely sure your lawyer knows what he/she is doing and can show you the applicable law. Its not clear from your question how severe the problems are. Sometimes landlords arent required to meet current codes; their properties were grandfathered in. That is: They complied with the code at the time the house was built. Those house often are allowed to remain in that condition. Similarly, you dont describe how your landlord may be violating your lease agreement. There are minor violations, and there are major ones. You need to consult a lawyer to determine your best course of action.