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28	28	STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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30	30	1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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32	32	HOUSE BILL 2015 By: Pae
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38	38	AS INTRODUCED
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40	40	An Act relating to landlord and tenant; prohibiting
41	41	landlords from retaliating against tenants in certain
42	42	circumstances; defining forms of r etaliation;
43	43	providing that a landlord may increase rent or
44	44	decrease services under certain circumstances;
45	45	providing remedy procedures for tenants; providing
46	46	examples of nonretaliatory actions; providing that a
47	47	landlord shall retain the right to recovery if done
48	48	in good faith; providing when raising rent shall not
49	49	be considered retaliatory; amending 41 O.S. 2021,
50	50	Section 121, as amended by Section 1, Chapter 230,
51	51	O.S.L. 2022 (41 O.S. Supp. 202 4, Section 121), which
52	52	relates to landlord's breach of a rental ag reement;
53	53	providing a tenant may bring an action to enforce an
54	54	obligation of a landlord; providing guidelines on
55	55	when a tenant can bring an action to enforce an
56	56	obligation of a landlord; providing types of relief;
57	57	providing when a landlord 's liability for damages
58	58	begins; defining terms; prohibiting an action for
59	59	possession based on n onpayment of rent in certain
60	60	circumstances; providing that tenants in certain
61	61	circumstances can recover reasonable attorney fees;
62	62	providing for codification; and providing an
63	63	effective date.
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68	68	BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
69	69	SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
70	70	in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 137 of Title 41, unless there is
71	71	created a duplication in numbe ring, reads as follows:
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98	98	A. 1. Except as provided in this section or as other wise
99	99	provided by law, a landlord renting more than ten dwelling units in
100	100	the State of Oklahoma may not retaliate against a tenant by
101	101	increasing rent, decreasing services, by brin ging or threatening to
102	102	bring an action for possession, or by causing a termination of the
103	103	rental agreement after the landlord has knowledge that:
104	104	a. the tenant, in good faith, has made a complaint to a
105	105	governmental agency charged with the enforcement of
106	106	building or housing code violations related to health
107	107	or safety,
108	108	b. the tenant, in good faith, has made a complaint to or
109	109	filed an action against the landlord for a violation
110	110	of any provision of Title 41 of the Oklahoma Statutes,
111	111	c. the tenant, in good faith , has given the landlord a
112	112	notice to repair or exercise a remedy under Title 41
113	113	of the Oklahoma Statutes,
114	114	d. the tenant, in good faith, has organized or become a
115	115	member of a tenants' organization, or
116	116	e. the tenant, in good faith, has testified in a court
117	117	proceeding against the landlord.
118	118	2. However, the provisions of this section sh all not be
119	119	construed to prevent the landlord from increasing rent nor from
120	120	decreasing services in a manner that applies equally to all tenants.
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147	147	B. If a landlord acts in violatio n of this section, the tenant
148	148	is entitled to the applicable remedies provided for in Title 41 of
149	149	the Oklahoma Statutes, including recovery of actual damages plus
150	150	reasonable attorney fees, and may assert such retaliation as a
151	151	defense in any action against the landlord for possession.
152	152	C. Actions by a landlord shall not be considered retaliatory
153	153	if:
154	154	1. The tenant is in arrears with regard to his or her rental
155	155	agreement;
156	156	2. The tenant creates conditions within the unit which are
157	157	unsafe or destructive; or
158	158	3. An unforeseen action causes the landlord to comply with a
159	159	code which would deprive the tenant of the right to continue using
160	160	the unit.
161	161	D. The landlord shall retain the right to recovery of the
162	162	premises if that recovery was done in good faith, which actio ns
163	163	shall include:
164	164	1. The tenant using the unit for an illegal or illicit purp ose
165	165	or otherwise creating a nuisance on the property;
166	166	2. The landlord recovering possession of the unit from the
167	167	tenant in order to use the unit as a primary residence for eithe r
168	168	the landlord or the landlord 's immediate family;
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195	195	3. The landlord recovering possession of the unit for the
196	196	purposes of substantially altering, remodeling, or demolishing the
197	197	unit; or
198	198	4. When the unit is sold and the purchaser intends to use it as
199	199	a primary residence for either the landlord or a member of the
200	200	landlord's immediate family.
201	201	E. Increases in rent shall not be considered retaliation if:
202	202	1. Compliance with a health department or other agency
203	203	directive creates a financial burden on the landlor d;
204	204	2. Rent is increased to mitigate the burden of a substantial
205	205	increase in property taxes ;
206	206	3. Substantial improvements to the unit that effects a tax
207	207	depreciation on the landlord 's federal tax bill; or
208	208	4. Rent is increased, upon renewal of the lease, in the
209	209	standard course of business.
210	210	SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 41 O.S. 2021, Section 121, as
211	211	amended by Section 1, Chapter 230, O.S.L. 2022 (41 O.S. Supp. 2024,
212	212	Section 121), is amended to read as follows:
213	213	Section 121. A. Except as otherwise provided in this act, if
214	214	there is a material noncompliance by the landlord with the terms of
215	215	the rental agreement or a noncompliance with any of the provisions
216	216	of Section 118 of this title which noncompliance materially affects
217	217	health or safety, th e tenant may deliver to the landlord a written
218	218	notice specifying the acts and omissions constituting the breach and
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245	245	that the rental agreement will terminate upon a date not less than
246	246	thirty (30) days after receipt of the notice if action to correct
247	247	the breach is not remedied within fourteen (14) days, and thereafter
248	248	the rental agreement shall so terminate as provided in the notice
249	249	unless the landlord adequately remedies the breach within the time
250	250	specified tenant may terminate or bring an action in court to
251	251	enforce an obligation of the landlord .
252	252	1. A tenant may not bring an action u nder this title unless the
253	253	following conditions are met:
254	254	a. the tenant gives the landlord written notice of the
255	255	landlord's noncompliance with a provision of this
256	256	title,
257	257	b. the landlord has been given a reasonable amount of
258	258	time, not to exceed fourteen (14) days, to make
259	259	repairs or provide a remedy of the condition described
260	260	in the tenant's notice. The tenant may not prevent
261	261	the landlord from having access to the rental premises
262	262	to meaningfully begin to make repairs or to
263	263	meaningfully begin to provide a remedy to the
264	264	condition described in the tenant 's notice, and
265	265	c. the landlord fails or refuses to repair or remedy the
266	266	condition described in the tenant's notice.
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293	293	2. If the tenant is the prevailing party in an action under
294	294	this section, the tenant may obtain any of the following, if
295	295	appropriate under the circumstances:
296	296	a. actual damages and consequential damages,
297	297	b. attorney fees and court costs,
298	298	c. injunctive relief, and
299	299	d. any other remedy appropriate under the circumstances.
300	300	3. The landlord's liability for damages begins when:
301	301	a. the landlord has notice or actual knowledge of
302	302	noncompliance, and
303	303	b. the landlord has:
304	304	(1) refused to remedy the noncompliance, or
305	305	(2) failed to meaningfully begin to remedy the
306	306	noncompliance within a reasonable amount of time,
307	307	not to exceed fourteen (14) days, following the
308	308	notice or actual knowledge.
309	309	B. Except as otherwise provided in this act, if there is a
310	310	material noncompliance by the landlord with any of the terms of the
311	311	rental agreement or any of the provisions of Section 1 18 of this
312	312	title which noncompliance materially affects health and the breach
313	313	is remediable by repairs, the reasonable cost of which is equal to
314	314	or less than one month 's rent, the tenant may notify the landlord in
315	315	writing of his or her intention to correct the condition at the
316	316	landlord's expense after the expiration of fourteen (14) days. If
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343	343	the landlord fails to meaningfully begin to comply within said
344	344	fourteen (14) days, or as promptly as conditions require in the case
345	345	of an emergency, the tenant may the reafter cause the work to be done
346	346	in a workmanlike manner and, after submitting to the landlord an
347	347	itemized statement, deduct from his or her rent the actual and
348	348	reasonable cost or the fair and reasonable value of the work, not
349	349	exceeding the amount specified in this subsection, in which event
350	350	the rental agreement shall not terminate by reason of that breach.
351	351	An emergency shall be defined as one of the following:
352	352	1. Lack of access to running water, gas, or electric which was
353	353	the result of the landlord for more than twelve (12) hours;
354	354	2. A sustained inside temperature lower than fifty-five (55)
355	355	degrees Fahrenheit or higher than eighty-five (85) degrees
356	356	Fahrenheit for a period of twelve (12) hours with no less than one
357	357	living space must have heat and air conditioning while repairs are
358	358	being made;
359	359	3. Inability to reasonably secure the home or premises with the
360	360	use of a manual locking mechanism for more than eight (8) hours,
361	361	however, temporary sheathing may be used for securing broken
362	362	windows;
363	363	4. Detection of CO2 or a gas smell that is not remedied within
364	364	one (1) hour after notification by either gas company or landlord
365	365	temporarily shutting off service ;
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392	392	5. Inability to use at le ast one toilet and lavatory for a
393	393	period of more than eight (8) hours, or unsafe electrical
394	394	connections, and sewer backup for more than eight (8) hours.
395	395	C. No action for possession on behalf of the landlord based on
396	396	nonpayment of rent shall be maintained regarding the premises leased
397	397	or rented for purposes other than for vacation o r recreation, if the
398	398	tenant is properly exercising a remedy under subsection B o r C of
399	399	this section.
400	400	C. D. Except as otherwise provided in this act, if, contrary to
401	401	the rental agreement or Section 118 of this title, the landlord
402	402	willfully or negligently fails to supply heat, running water, hot
403	403	water, electric, gas or other essential service, the tenant may give
404	404	written notice to the landlord specifying the breach and thereafter
405	405	may:
406	406	1. Upon written notice, immediately terminate the rental
407	407	agreement; or
408	408	2. Procure reasonable amounts of heat, hot water, running
409	409	water, electric, gas or other essential service during the period of
410	410	the landlord's noncompliance and deduct their actual and reasonable
411	411	cost from the rent; or
412	412	3. Recover damages based upon the diminution of the fair rental
413	413	value of the dwelling unit landlord's noncompliance, at the
414	414	discretion of the court, including reasonable attorney fees ; or
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441	441	4. Upon written notice, pro cure reasonable substitute housing
442	442	during the period of the landlord 's noncompliance, in which case the
443	443	tenant is excused from paying rent for the period of the landlord 's
444	444	noncompliance.
445	445	D. E. Except as otherwise provided in this act, if there is a
446	446	noncompliance by the landlord with the terms of the rental agreement
447	447	or Section 118 of this title, which noncompliance renders the
448	448	dwelling unit uninhabitable or poses an imminent threat to the
449	449	health and safety of any occupant of the dwelling unit and which
450	450	noncompliance is not remedied as promptly as conditions require, the
451	451	tenant may immediately terminate the rental agreement upon written
452	452	notice to the landlord which notice specifies the noncompliance.
453	453	E. F. All rights of the tenant under this section do not arise
454	454	until he or she has given written notice to the landlord or if the
455	455	condition complained of was caused by the deliberate or negligent
456	456	act or omission of the tenant, a member of his or her family, his or
457	457	her animal or pet or other person or animal on t he premises with his
458	458	or her consent.
459	459	SECTION 3. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.
460	460
461	461	60-1-11667 JL 01/08/25

Oklahoma 2025 Regular Session

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