Can a tenant withhold rent for repairs in Vermont?
In Vermont, if the landlord, after actual notice of a habitability violation from the tenant, a governmental entity or a qualified independent inspector, fails to make repairs within a reasonable time and the violation materially affects health and safety, the tenant may withhold the payment of rent for the period of the noncompliance. The tenant may also obtain injunctive relief, recover damages, costs and reasonable attorney’s fees, and terminate the rental agreement on reasonable notice. These remedies are not available if the noncompliance was caused by the negligent or deliberate act or omission of the tenant or a person on the premises with the tenant’s consent. Repair-and-deduct is a different remedy with its own rules. This is 9 V.S.A. § 4458.
| What | Vermont |
|---|---|
| Rent withholding | Withhold rent after notice if repairs are not made |
| How it works | The tenant may withhold rent after the required notice |
What the statute says
“… the landlord fails to make repairs within a reasonable time and the noncompliance materially affects health and safety, the tenant may: (1) withhold the payment of rent for the period of the noncompliance;”
Quoted word for word from the section’s text.
Source
Read the statute in the Vermont Statutes (Vermont General Assembly): legislature.vermont.gov.
Checked against the statute on November 15, 2026.
This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.
How Seayora uses this rule
Every deadline on this page runs from the tenant’s notice. A repair request filed in Seayora keeps the date it was made and every update after it, on the website and both phone apps, so owner and tenant are working from the same date.
Guides on this rule
- Rent Withholding Laws by State: When Tenants Can Withhold Rent — When a tenant may withhold rent or pay it into escrow over repairs, with the notice and conditions in each of the 19 states with a statute.
Compare this rule in every state
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The same question in other states
- California
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico