Water damage in a Utah rental
Utah's Fit Premises Act requires landlords to keep a rental fit to live in and to maintain the plumbing and heating, plus hot and cold water. It also gives renters a specific process when that doesn't happen, starting with written notice. This is general information, not legal advice.
What the landlord has to maintain
Under Utah Code 57-22-4, an owner may not rent a unit unless it is safe and sanitary and fit for human occupancy. The owner has to maintain the electrical systems and plumbing, the heating, the hot and cold water and any air conditioning. A burst pipe, a failed water heater or a backed-up drain that wasn't caused by the renter is the landlord's to fix.
About 36% of occupied homes across the 34 ZIP codes we cover are rented (Census ACS 2020-2024), and in downtown and Central City it is more than three in four.
The written notice
Utah Code 57-22-6 sets out the process. A renter who believes the unit has a deficient condition can give the owner written notice that:
- describes each problem;
- states the corrective period the owner has to fix it: three calendar days for a habitability standard, 10 calendar days for a requirement in the rental agreement;
- states the remedy the renter has chosen if the owner doesn't take substantial action in time;
- gives the owner permission to enter to make repairs;
- and is served as the statute or the lease allows.
For a dangerous condition, one with a substantial risk of imminent loss of life or significant physical harm, the renter can notify the owner by any reasonable means, and the owner must start fixing it within 24 hours after notice.
The two remedies
- Rent abatement. The lease ends, rent stops as of the notice, the owner refunds the deposit and prepaid rent, and the renter moves out within 10 calendar days after the corrective period.
- Repair and deduct. The renter fixes the problem and deducts the cost from future rent, up to two months' rent, keeping the receipts and giving the owner copies.
A renter has to be current on their own duties under the Act, including rent, to use either remedy.
Practical steps
- Stop the water if you can, and photograph everything.
- Call the landlord or manager, then follow up in writing the same day.
- Call your renters insurance about your belongings; the landlord's policy covers the building, not your things.
- Keep copies of every message.
Questions Salt Lake homeowners ask
What does a Utah landlord have to fix?
Utah's Fit Premises Act requires landlords to keep a rental safe and sanitary, fit to live in, and to maintain its plumbing and heating, plus hot and cold water (Utah Code 57-22-4). A renter can give written notice of a problem; for a habitability problem the landlord then has three calendar days to start fixing it (57-22-6). For a dangerous condition, the landlord must start fixing it within 24 hours after notice. This is general information, not legal advice.
Does my landlord's insurance cover my belongings?
Usually not. The landlord's policy covers the building. Your furniture and clothing are covered by a renters policy, if you have one.
Can I hire a restoration company myself?
You can, but in a rental the landlord usually controls the building repair. Under the repair and deduct remedy, Utah law caps the deduction at two months' rent and requires written notice first.