HB 2015: Landlord and tenant; landlord's breach of rental agreement; providing tenant may bring action; liability for damages; withholding payment of rent in certain circumstances; procedure; effective date. - Oklahoma

House Committee Substitute → Floor (House) · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill text was updated from a House Committee Substitute version to the Floor Version, incorporating specific formatting changes and page headers required for the final House floor vote. The substantive legal text regarding landlord-tenant rights, repair procedures, and rent withholding appears unchanged in meaning, though the layout has been adjusted to meet legislative formatting standards.

TECHNICAL

Header and title page formatting were updated to reflect the 'Floor Version' status, replacing the 'Committee Substitute' designation and adjusting line breaks and spacing.

Page footers were updated to include 'HB2015 HFLR' and 'BOLD FACE denotes Committee Amendments' instructions, which are standard markers for the final legislative record.

Line numbers and text alignment were reorganized throughout the document to comply with the specific formatting requirements of the House Floor version.

Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 → House Committee Substitute · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten by the House Committee, replacing the original text with a new version that updates the legislative session year from 2025 to 2026 and adjusts the legal citation year from 2024 to 2025. While the core purpose of protecting tenants remains, the specific procedures for handling repairs and withholding rent have been significantly altered, including changes to the timeline for landlords to fix issues and new options for tenants to deduct essential utility costs or recover damages for uninhabitable conditions.

Scope change

The bill's scope shifted from a 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute' to a 'House Committee Substitute,' indicating it has been revised by the House leadership. The applicability dates were updated to reflect the upcoming 2026 legislative session.

TECHNICAL

Updated the legislative session from the 1st Session of 2025 to the 2nd Session of 2026 and changed the legal citation year from 2024 to 2025.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the condition for terminating a lease due to repairs from waiting 30 days after a 14-day notice to waiting 30 days if the landlord has not 'meaningfully begun' repairs within 14 days.

Added new provisions allowing tenants to immediately terminate leases or deduct the cost of essential services (heat, water, electricity) if the landlord fails to provide them.

Added new provisions allowing tenants to recover damages based on the reduced value of the home or to rent substitute housing if the unit becomes uninhabitable.

ENFORCEMENT

Reordered the list of remedies available to tenants, placing injunctive relief before the specific monetary damages option.

Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 2 → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was reclassified from an 'Oversight' to a 'Policy' committee substitute, shifting its focus from monitoring to establishing specific rules. The most significant change is the addition of a new provision prohibiting landlords from filing eviction lawsuits for nonpayment of rent when a tenant is actively exercising their right to withhold rent for unremedied health or safety violations. This change strengthens tenant protections by preventing eviction proceedings during the dispute resolution process.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include a specific prohibition on eviction actions for nonpayment of rent in cases where tenants are withholding rent due to landlord noncompliance.

TIMELINE

The deadline for landlords to begin remedying breaches was shortened from 30 days to 14 days.

ENFORCEMENT

A new provision was added to bar landlords from filing possession actions (evictions) for nonpayment of rent if the tenant is properly exercising remedies for health and safety violations.

REQUIREMENT

The bill title and session dates were updated to reflect the 2025 legislative session instead of 2026.

TECHNICAL

The bill was reclassified from a 'Proposed Oversight Committee Substitute' to a 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute'.

Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 → Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 2 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was updated to reflect the start of the 2nd Session of the 60th Legislature in 2026, changing the legislative session dates and the citation year for the referenced Oklahoma Statutes from 2024 to 2025. Additionally, the bill's authorship was expanded to include a Senate sponsor, and the list of available remedies for tenants was slightly reorganized.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on landlord-tenant disputes, but the legal citations and session dates have been updated to reflect the current legislative timeline.

TIMELINE

Updated the legislative session from the 1st Session of 2025 to the 2nd Session of 2026.

TECHNICAL

Changed the referenced statute citation year from 2024 to 2025 to match the new session.

Added a Senate sponsor (Gollihare) to the list of bill authors.

Reordered the list of tenant remedies, moving 'injunctive relief' before 'damage equivalent to two months' rent'.

Engrossed → Proposed Committee Substitute (full committee) 1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten to replace the original text with a new version that clarifies tenant rights and landlord responsibilities. The new version adds specific protections for essential services like heat and water, outlines clear steps for tenants to withhold rent or terminate leases when repairs are not made, and explicitly allows tenants to recover attorney fees if they win a court case.

Scope change

The scope of the bill remains focused on landlord-tenant disputes, but the new text expands the clarity and enforceability of tenant remedies compared to the previous draft.

REQUIREMENT

The bill now explicitly lists essential services (heat, water, electricity, gas) that landlords must provide, creating a clearer standard for what constitutes a breach.

The new text provides detailed procedures for tenants to hire contractors to fix issues themselves and deduct the cost from rent, including requirements for itemized statements.

ENFORCEMENT

New provisions allow tenants to recover attorney fees and court costs if they are the prevailing party in a lawsuit against the landlord.

TIMELINE

The timeline for landlords to fix issues and the process for tenants to withhold rent or terminate leases has been restructured to be more specific about notice periods and conditions.

Introduced → Engrossed · 4 edits · Mar 26, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was reclassified from 'Introduced' to 'Engrossed' and its descriptive title was expanded to include new provisions on withholding rent, attorney fees, and other damages. The substantive policy changes allow tenants to withhold rent for essential service failures (like heat or water) if the landlord fails to act within 14 days, and they can deduct repair costs from rent if the repair cost is less than one month's rent. Additionally, the bill clarifies that a landlord's liability for damages begins only after they have notice of the issue and a reasonable opportunity to fix it.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to explicitly cover withholding rent for essential service failures and deducting repair costs, whereas the original text focused primarily on general retaliation and breach of agreement.

REQUIREMENT

Added specific rules allowing tenants to withhold rent or deduct repair costs when landlords fail to provide essential services like heat, water, or electricity.

TIMELINE

Established a strict 14-day deadline for landlords to begin remedying noncompliance after receiving written notice.

ENFORCEMENT

Granted tenants the right to recover reasonable attorney fees if they are the prevailing party in a legal action under the bill.

DEFINITION

Clarified that landlord liability for damages only begins after they have actual knowledge of the issue and a reasonable time to fix it.

Landlord and tenant; landlord's breach of rental agreement; providing tenant may bring action; liability for damages; withholding payment of rent in certain circumstances; procedure; effective date.

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