When the Landlord Will Not Fix It
AS 34.03.160 — written notice, 10 days to fix it, and the lease ends no sooner than 20 days after if it is not
- All repairs needed to keep the premises fit and habitable.
- Common areas kept clean and safe.
- Electrical, plumbing, heating, kitchen and other facilities the landlord supplies, kept in good and safe working order.
- Running water and reasonable hot water and heat at all times, as energy conditions permit.
- Locks and keys reasonably adequate for safety, if the tenant asks.
- Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
Who handles this in Alaska: Alaska Legal Services Corporation, apply for help and Alaska Legal Services Corporation; and legal aid programs, lawyer referral and the state offices, listed in the Alaska directory.
Those are the landlord's duties, and in a one or two family home the landlord and tenant may agree in writing that the tenant takes some of them on.
If the landlord materially breaks the lease, or breaks those duties in a way that materially affects health and safety, the tenant may deliver a written notice naming the breach and saying the lease will end on a date at least 20 days after the landlord gets it unless the breach is fixed in 10 days.
If it is fixed. If the breach can be fixed by repairs, paying damages or otherwise, and the landlord fixes it before the date in the notice, the lease does not end. The tenant may also recover damages and get a court order for any breach.
Sources for this section (2)
- AS 34.03.100 — Landlord to maintain fit premises
- AS 34.03.160 — Noncompliance by the landlord: General
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Alaska attorney.