Senate Bill 1076 aims to enhance tenant rights regarding rent abatement and protect against retaliatory actions by landlords. The bill allows tenants to abate rent based on a schedule to be created by the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), which will specify the items eligible for rent abatement and the corresponding amounts. This change permits tenants to withhold rent in full if the rental premises are in disrepair affecting health or safety, a shift from current law that prohibits full rent withholding while the tenant remains in possession.

Additionally, the bill clarifies that landlords cannot retaliate against tenants for exercising their rights, including reasonable rent abatement. If a landlord takes adverse actions such as increasing rent or threatening eviction after a tenant has complained about defects or exercised their legal rights within the past year, these actions are presumed retaliatory. The bill also amends existing statutes to include the reasonable abatement of rent as a protected tenant action and specifies that landlords can still pursue possession if rent is unpaid, except for amounts related to prohibited rent increases or abatement.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 704.07(4), 704.07, 704.45(1)(c), 704.45, 704.45(2)