Skip to content
Oakclause

Tenant Repair Laws in Louisiana

In Louisiana, if the landlord does not make necessary repairs within a reasonable time after the tenant's demand, the tenant may make them and apply the reasonable cost to rent.

Last checked . General information, not legal advice.

Louisiana at a glance

Repair and deduct
Yes
Only to the extent the repair was necessary and the amount spent was reasonable.
Landlord repair deadline
Reasonable time after demand
The Civil Code sets no fixed number of days.

Sources

Last checked

The rules in Louisiana

Can a tenant repair and deduct the cost from rent in Louisiana?

Yes. Repair and deduct in Louisiana: yes. Only to the extent the repair was necessary and the amount spent was reasonable.

How long does a landlord have to make repairs after notice in Louisiana?

Landlord repair deadline in Louisiana: Reasonable time after demand. The Civil Code sets no fixed number of days.

Where do the Louisiana tenant repair laws come from?

The rules above come from La. Civ. Code art. 2694. Each source is linked on this page. We last checked them in October 2026.

Good to know

The tenant may instead demand immediate reimbursement of the repair cost from the landlord (Civil Code article 2694, effective January 1, 2005).

What this means in practice

Give notice in writing and keep a copy. Tenant repair remedies usually start running only after the landlord has received notice of the problem, and a dated letter or email is the easiest way to prove when that happened.

Document the condition before and after. Photos, videos, inspection reports from a local code office and receipts for any repair work help show that the problem was serious and that any amount deducted or withheld matches the actual cost.

Stay current on everything else. Repair remedies generally protect only tenants who are not otherwise behind on rent and who did not cause the damage, and using a remedy the state does not allow can be treated as nonpayment of rent and lead to an eviction case.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change, and cities can add their own rules, so check the current statute before you rely on it.