101
repairs reported complete
76 fully done · 25 partial
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Hoosier HomeFix
hoosierhomefix.org
Indiana tenants
Give your landlord proper written notice for repairs
Under Indiana law, you generally must notify the landlord in writing and give a reasonable time to fix the problem before you can take further action. Hoosier Home Fix helps you create that notice, send it, and keep a clear record.
This tool is a personal educational project. It is not legal advice. Generate, download, and email are free. Print-and-mail and other extras are coming soon and will cost postage only.
August 23, 2026
Owner of Record
Smith Family LLC
Re: Written Notice of Needed Repairs
Indiana Code §§ 32-31-8-5 and 32-31-8-6
Dear Landlord / Property Manager:
This letter constitutes written notice that conditions at the rental premises do not comply with the landlord’s obligations to maintain a safe, clean, and habitable unit…
Tenant, Indianapolis
Why written notice matters in Indiana
Indiana Code § 32-31-8-5 requires landlords to deliver and maintain rental premises in a safe, clean, and habitable condition and to keep certain systems (electrical, plumbing with hot and cold water, sanitary, HVAC, and others) in good working order when they were provided.
Under § 32-31-8-6, a tenant generally cannot bring a court action to enforce those duties unless the tenant has first given the landlord notice of the problem and a reasonable amount of time to repair it, and has not blocked access.
Indiana does not give tenants a general statutory right to withhold rent or to repair-and-deduct. Proper written notice is the critical first step that starts the clock and creates the paper trail you may need later.
Read the plain-language rights guide · Tenant rights legal resources — including rent and utility help by ZIP
Albion Fellows Bacon · Evansville
Albion Fellows Bacon (1865–1933) of Evansville was one of Indiana’s first housing-conditions advocates of the modern era. She pressed the General Assembly for tenement laws and told the work in Beauty for Ashes (1914).
“I had never dreamed that people lived like that in our city.”
“The best of them were cheerless and dismal; the worst of them were sties, where none of us would have housed a pet animal.”
“The slum is not a reproach to the poor, but to the landlords, to the public, to us.”
“I was constantly impressed not only by the amount of preventable illness but of the great amount of misery that was entirely unnecessary and could have been so easily remedied by repairs and better sanitation.”
“This fight would be to win — not all those things I wanted for the poor, not comforts, not conveniences, only bare decencies.”
“Those who need the bill most cannot come. They are sick and weak, poor and ignorant, and they do not know how to protect themselves.”
“The curse of the narrow lot is like the curse of the narrow mind. It fastens upon us the restricted view, the selfish attitude.”
“No, housing reform. Housing till I die. I have made only a good beginning.”
Across Indiana
Where tenants are using this tool
385
households have prepared a repair notice
82
of 92 counties represented
Preview totals. These figures include demonstration / preview rows so the map is not empty. They are not an official Indiana statistic and not a scientific survey of tenants.
Each completed notice adds one count for the county of the rental — never a name, email, phone, or street address. Darker counties, and denser dots, have more households using the tool. Use the list or arrow keys on the map.
Cream = no reports. Dots get denser, then a dark hatch, as more households use the tool. Exact counts are in the county list.
By county
What to do after you send the notice
Written notice is step one. Use this list so you are not stuck wondering what comes next.
- 1
Keep copies and proof of sending
Save the PDF, the sent email, certified-mail receipts, or tracking numbers. Photograph the letter and envelope. You will need this if you go to court.
- 2
Give a reasonable time and allow access
Indiana Code § 32-31-8-6 requires written notice and a reasonable time to repair. Let the landlord in to fix the problem. Note every request for access.
- 3
Log photos with dates
Take dated photos of every essential-service problem and each room you cannot fully use. Add them to the evidence log so they stamp as exhibits later.
Open → - 4
Track certified mail receipts
Enter the tracking number, date mailed, and when the green card came back. Photograph PS Form 3800 and 3811. Look the number up on USPS.
Open → - 5
Call code enforcement or the health department
A city inspector can document housing-code or sanitation failures besides your letter. Look up the office for your ZIP.
Open → - 6
Report whether anything was repaired or credited
Anonymous totals on the home page show whether this tool actually gets repairs done. Update when something changes.
Open → - 7
If nothing is fixed: damages worksheet
List every essential-service failure, loss of use of rooms, and receipts. Print a statement verified under penalties of perjury.
Open → - 8
Send a second written notice
If a reasonable time has passed, a follow-up letter cites the first notice and sets another short deadline.
Open → - 9
If they lock you out or retaliate
Indiana forbids changing locks, removing doors, or shutting off essential utilities without a court order (IC 32-31-5-6). Retaliation after a protected complaint is also restricted (IC 32-31-8.5). Use the lockout letter and call legal aid.
Open → - 10
Small Claims Exhibit and Damages Packet
Stamp your lease, notices, damages statement, and photos. The packet calculates damages from rent. You still file the clerk’s Notice of Claim.
Open → - 11
Talk to legal aid if you can
Indiana Legal Services and other clinics can advise on eviction, lockout, and habitability. This site cannot be your lawyer.
Open →
After written notice
Repairs, rent credits, and how long it took
Tenants who already sent notice can report what happened. Totals are self-reported and anonymous: county, outcome, days after notice, and any rent credit — never a name or street address.
18 days
typical wait for a repair
Median of completed reports. Average 17 days.
$4,105.00
in rent credits reported
30 households reported a credit or reimbursement
138
follow-up reports so far
28 still waiting · 9 refused or retaliation
How those reports break down
- Fully repaired: 76 (55%)
- Partly repaired: 25 (18%)
- Still waiting: 28 (20%)
- Refused or retaliation: 9 (7%)
Tenant value survey
Would listed postage be fair?
People first said what they would actually use, then whether the USPS or hosting cost looked fair. “Yes” means the listed postage — not a maybe. Anonymous. Not a charge.
58%
would pay listed postage for at least one extra
Hard yes · 12 responses
0%
need stronger proof than email
Said they need court-ready delivery, not just a PDF
Highest “fair at that cost”
Extra copies to PHA, health, or code enforcement
75% yes at $2.00 per extra address
- Extra copies to PHA, health, or code enforcement75% yes · $2.00 per extra address
3 yes at listed cost · 1 only if cheaper · 0 would not pay
- Certified Mail with return receipt64% yes · $12.00 per address
7 yes at listed cost · 2 only if cheaper · 2 would not pay
- USPS First-Class print-and-mail56% yes · $2.00 per address
5 yes at listed cost · 3 only if cheaper · 1 would not pay
- Printed small-claims exhibit packet mailed to you33% yes · $15.00 per packet
3 yes at listed cost · 3 only if cheaper · 3 would not pay
- Text reminders at 7, 14, and 30 days25% yes · $3.00 per notice
2 yes at listed cost · 2 only if cheaper · 4 would not pay
- Keep photos and exhibits longer than two weeks20% yes · $5.00 per notice, 90 days
1 yes at listed cost · 1 only if cheaper · 3 would not pay
Did this site connect people to help
Awareness and use of services tenants did not know about
After using the tool, tenants can say whether they learned about a right or a program they did not know existed — and whether they applied, called, or used it. Totals are anonymous. No names or addresses.
88%
became more aware
42 of 48 said they learned something new
65%
used or started using a service
20 applied or called · 11 started an application
What people said was new
- Energy Assistance / LIHEAP17
- Indiana 21112
- That I must give written repair notice (IC 32-31-8-6)12
- Free legal aid (Indiana Legal Services or similar)10
- Township trustee emergency rent or utility help10
- SNAP, TANF, or Medicaid9
Services people reported using: Energy Assistance / LIHEAP (12) · Township trustee emergency rent or utility help (7) · Free legal aid (Indiana Legal Services or similar) (6) · Indiana 211 (3).
Take the impact surveyBuilding the next version
What tenants asked us to add
After using the tool, people can vote on what would help next. Ratings and votes are anonymous. Written comments stay off the public pages.
3.9
average usefulness (1–5)
From 52 anonymous responses
Most-requested next tools
- A second follow-up letter15
- Retaliation / lockout letter template15
- Look up my city’s code enforcement14
- Photo and evidence log with dates14
- Spanish and other languages13
- Save and finish later on another device10
Common snags: Hard to use on a phone · I needed a language other than English · Not sure what to do after sending notice · Hard to find who owns the building.
Send feedback for future updatesHow it works
1
Describe the problem
List what needs repair, when you first noticed it, and how it affects habitability.
2
Identify who receives notice
Add the property manager and the owner of record so the right people get the message.
3
Send and track
Email instantly, or prepare a Certified letter with tracking. Keep the record.
4
Follow up or assess damages
Send a second notice if nothing was fixed. Then stamp exhibits and calculate damages from rent — more accurate if you upload the lease.
Ready to create your notice?
It takes a few minutes. You can download a PDF, email it, or prepare a tracked physical mailing.
Create Repair NoticeAlready sent notice?