ABA Family Legal Guide

Renting Residential Property

Maintaining Rental Property

Lease Termination for Code Violations

What is material noncompliance?

Material noncompliance means substantial noncompliance with the housing code. In other words, the premises don't meet the standards of the local or state housing code.

To terminate the lease on these grounds, the tenant would have to serve written notice on the landlord, specify the conditions that represent material noncompliance, demand the correction of the conditions within a specified period of time, and inform the landlord of the date that the lease will terminate if the conditions are not corrected.