Oklahoma governor approves Landlord-Tenant Act updates

LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - Governor Kevin Stitt has approved major updates to the Landlord-Tenant Act this week. The changes are aimed at improving living conditions for renters.

New updates to the Act will give renters a faster turnaround time when needing essential repairs to the space they’re living in.

In the modified law, tenants may notify their landlord in writing about what repairs are needed to the property, at the landlord’s expense. And after 14 days, if the landlord fails to comply, the tenant may then complete the work and be reimbursed up to the amount equal of a month’s rent, if the repairs are vital to health or safety.

Since the late 70′s, tenants have only been able to deduct $100 worth of repairs to their rent payment.

Brad Robinson, a local renter, said he appreciates the new updates.

“I think it helps out quite a bit, considering if you have a thousand dollar rent and say they don’t want to fix your furnace and your furnace comes out to $1,500,” Robinson said. “There’s a thousand rent you don’t have to pay and you can still get your stuff fixed.”

Property Management Owner Terry Bryant said has been a landlord for a very long time and he also sees the benefits of the new updates.

“It’s perfectly fine by me, what they’ve done is tweaked the law a little bit,” he said. “My opinion of the Oklahoma landlord Tenant acts is that it a very well written, probably one of the best in the country. It looks out for Landlords, it looks out for tenants.”

Robinson believes this change is long overdue, but are happy it will help others in the future.

“So I mean, if that would have been in effect, then I would have been able to use that, a little more eagerly considering I did pay about $1,200 to fix stuff up in it just to begin with,” he said.

House Bill 3409 will go into effect on November 1, 2022.

The full language of the bill can be found here.

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