Your home, while not perfect, has been your sanctuary for years.  You’ve paid your rent, you’ve taken care of the unit, despite its many imperfections.  You’ve complained about habitability defects profusely, for years, including the front door which never closed or locked properly.  Despite your prudence, the landlord has not made repairs, and your home remains uninhabitable through no fault of your own, including your broken and dilapidated front door.  That door has been dilapidated for years.  However, you begin to feel that it is not fair.  Why should you, the upstanding & rent paying tenant, have paid rent for a home with a difficult front door that also poses a severe security threat.  You begin to wonder; Does my landlord have to repair or replace a front door that does not close or lock properly?

Yes, your landlord has to repair or replace a front door that does not close or lock properly.  Rivera v. Sassoon, (1995) 39 Cal. App. 4th 1045, 1047 (Broken and deteriorated doors constitute a breach of the warranty of habitability); California Civil Code § 1941.1(a)(1); California Health & Safety Code § 17920.3(g)(2).  Provided it is not de minimis (minor or not severe), a door that does not close or lock properly constitutes a defective condition that substantially affects habitability.  Id.; CACI No. 4350 (Additionally, CACI No. 4350 expressly references broken doors as constituting a condition that constitutes a breach of the warranty of habitability.).  Thus, a substantially defective front door is more than an inconvenience—it is a habitability concern that your landlord must remedy.

It is important to note here that your landlord cannot charge you to repair or replace the broken front door, except instances where you or your guest intentionally caused the door to break.

Repeated complaints and broken promises should not define your experience at home.  When habitability defects persist and requests for repairs go unanswered, pursuing a habitability claim may be an important step toward holding those responsible accountable and seeking compensation for the harm you have suffered.  Your complaints, photographs, inspection reports, and records of losses can help tell that story, and help you as you litigate your timely filed breach of the implied warranty of habitability claim (not making repairs) in a court of law, including for a broken and dilapidated front door.