Vermont Mold, Pests, Heat & AC Rules
Vermont rules on mold, pests, heat & ac for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-22.
Short answer: No mold-specific statute, but the state Rental Housing Health Code requires every rental unit to be kept free from the regular or periodic appearance of standing water or excessive moisture that may result in visible mold growth, and bars use of humidifiers in ways that raise relative… 9 V.S.A. § 4457(a)-(b); Vermont Rental Housing Health Code §§ 8.2, 10.3
The rules in Vermont
| Mold | No mold-specific statute, but the state Rental Housing Health Code requires every rental unit to be kept free from the regular or periodic appearance of standing water or excessive moisture that may result in visible mold growth, and bars use of humidifiers in ways that raise relative humidity above 60%. The landlord's statutory warranty of habitability requires premises that are safe, clean, fit for habitation and compliant with building, housing and health regulations; the warranty cannot be waived. Statute text: https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/fullchapter/09/137. Tenant remedies for habitability violations (including withholding rent after notice and a reasonable time to repair) are in 9 V.S.A. § 4458. |
|---|---|
| Pests & bed bugs | Yes, by health code. The owner must keep common spaces free from infestation (pests or bed bugs) and exterminate there, and must exterminate inside a unit when the infestation is caused by the owner's failure to maintain the building or exists in two or more units. Rooming-house owners are responsible for all rooms. The tenant must keep the unit free from infestation and pay for extermination when the infestation is caused by the tenant's failure to maintain the unit (except where the owner is responsible as above). Extermination must remove harborage and food sources and use treatments such as spraying, fumigating, heat treating or trapping. No bed-bug disclosure statute. |
| Heat | Yes. The landlord must ensure heating facilities capable of safely providing a reasonable amount of heat, and a landlord who provides heat under the lease must supply a reasonable amount at all times (summer rentals and hunting camps excepted). The Rental Housing Health Code requires heating facilities whenever the outside temperature is below 55 degrees F, able to maintain at least 65 degrees F in all habitable rooms, kitchens and bathrooms (measured 3 feet above the floor and 3 feet from an exterior wall) without overheating one room to heat another; unvented fuel-fired space heaters are prohibited. Health code text: https://healthvermont.gov/file/18871. |
| Air conditioning | No statute — Vermont law and the Rental Housing Health Code do not require air conditioning or set a maximum indoor temperature. The code requires ventilation to the outdoors and screens on operable windows. |
| Smoke and CO detectors | Multi-unit and rented residential buildings where people sleep (other than owner-occupied single-family homes) must have one or more carbon monoxide detectors installed according to the manufacturer's requirements, and are subject to the state fire safety rules. According to the Division of Fire Safety, smoke alarm requirements for rental units come from the Vermont fire and building safety codes, and photoelectric-only smoke alarms are required near bedrooms and on each level. The statute read does not say who replaces batteries or require testing at move-in. Division of Fire Safety guidance: https://firesafety.vermont.gov/pubed/media/smoke-alarms. |
Related questions
- Does a landlord have to fix mold?
- Who pays for pest control and bed bugs in a rental?
- Does a landlord have to provide heat?
- Does a landlord have to provide air conditioning?
Vermont vs. neighboring states
| State | Mold | Pests & bed bugs | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont | No mold-specific statute, but the state Rental Housing Health Code requires every rental unit to be kept free from the regular or periodic appearance of standing water or excessive moisture that may result in visible mold growth, and bars use of humidifiers in ways that raise relative humidity above 60%. The landlord's statutory warranty of habitability requires premises that are safe, clean, fit for habitation and compliant with building, housing and health regulations; the warranty cannot be waived. 9 V.S.A. § 4457(a)-(b); Vermont Rental Housing Health Code §§ 8.2, 10.3 | Yes, by health code. The owner must keep common spaces free from infestation (pests or bed bugs) and exterminate there, and must exterminate inside a unit when the infestation is caused by the owner's failure to maintain the building or exists in two or more units. Rooming-house owners are responsible for all rooms. The tenant must keep the unit free from infestation and pay for extermination when the infestation is caused by the tenant's failure to maintain the unit (except where the owner is responsible as above). Extermination must remove harborage and food sources and use treatments such as spraying, fumigating, heat treating or trapping. Vermont Rental Housing Health Code §§ 4.7, 4.15, 6.1-6.3 | Yes. The landlord must ensure heating facilities capable of safely providing a reasonable amount of heat, and a landlord who provides heat under the lease must supply a reasonable amount at all times (summer rentals and hunting camps excepted). The Rental Housing Health Code requires heating facilities whenever the outside temperature is below 55 degrees F, able to maintain at least 65 degrees F in all habitable rooms, kitchens and bathrooms (measured 3 feet above the floor and 3 feet from an exterior wall) without overheating one room to heat another; unvented fuel-fired space heaters are prohibited. 9 V.S.A. § 4457(c); Vermont Rental Housing Health Code §§ 7.1-7.5 |
| Massachusetts | Yes, under the State Sanitary Code. Owners must keep buildings and structural elements watertight and free from excess moisture or the appearance of mold. After leaks or flooding, the owner must dry all surfaces within 48 hours of being notified or of the end of the event, whichever is sooner. No room may be used for habitation if it is subject to excess moisture. Code violations are enforced by the local board of health, and any violation not otherwise listed is deemed a condition that may endanger health or safety. Occupants must use building elements with reasonable care. No statute requires mold disclosure to tenants. 105 CMR 410.500(A)(1), (B); 410.510; 410.420(A); 410.630(A)(18); 410.020 ('Chronic Dampness') | Set by the State Sanitary Code. In buildings with 2 or more units (and rooming houses), the owner must keep the building free from infestation and is responsible for extermination, including bed bugs. In single-unit residences, the occupant is responsible unless the owner failed to maintain the structure to keep pests out. Owners must inspect each unit for pests before a new tenancy and keep documented results. Occupants must keep units sanitary and give access and follow preparation instructions for pesticide treatments. Commercial applicators must give 48 hours' written pre-notification. Failure to keep premises pest-free is a condition deemed to endanger health or safety. 105 CMR 410.550; 410.630(A)(17) | Yes. The owner must heat every habitable room and bathroom from September 15 through May 31: at least 68°F from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and at least 64°F from 11:01 p.m. to 6:59 a.m. Temperature is measured 5 feet above the floor, more than 5 feet from an exterior wall. A local board of health may shorten the season, ending it no earlier than May 15 or starting it no later than September 30. Failure to provide required heat is a condition deemed to endanger health or safety. 105 CMR 410.180(A), (C), (D); 410.630 |
| New Hampshire | No statute — general habitability standards apply. The state minimum housing standards do not mention mold but prohibit related conditions such as roofs or walls that leak consistently and defective internal plumbing or sewage back-ups. RSA 48-A:14, II and IV | The landlord may not maintain premises infested by insects and rodents without a periodic inspection and eradication program, or infested by bed bugs without a periodic inspection and remediation program (remediation = substantially reducing bed bugs for at least 60 days). The landlord must investigate a tenant's report of insects, bed bugs, or rodents within 7 days and take reasonable measures to remediate. Tenants may not refuse access for emergency pest entry or, on 48 hours' written notice, for a bed-bug check when an adjacent, above, or below unit has bed bugs, and must follow reasonable written preparation instructions given at least 72 hours before treatment. RSA 48-A:14, I and I-a; RSA 540-A:3, IV-a, V-a to V-c | Yes. Heating facilities must be properly installed, safely maintained, in good working condition, and capable of heating all habitable rooms, bathrooms, and toilet rooms to an average of at least 65°F; when the landlord supplies heat as part of the rent, rooms must actually be kept at a minimum average of 65°F. No heating season is specified. A landlord may not willfully interrupt heat or other utility service except temporarily for repairs or emergencies. RSA 48-A:14, XI; RSA 540-A:3, I |
| New York | No statewide mold statute — the warranty of habitability applies. Every residential lease includes a non-waivable warranty that the premises are fit for human habitation and free of conditions dangerous, hazardous, or detrimental to life, health, or safety. N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-b | In multiple dwellings, the owner must keep the building and its lot, yards, and passages clean and free from vermin, dirt, filth, and garbage; tenants are answerable for conditions they cause. Failure to rid an apartment of an insect infestation is an example of a breach of the warranty of habitability. No statewide bed-bug disclosure statute. N.Y. Mult. Dwell. Law § 80; N.Y. Mult. Resid. Law § 174; N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-b | Yes, in multiple dwellings: from October 1 through May 31, the owner must heat all living areas to at least 68°F from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. when it is below 55°F outside, and at least 55°F from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. when it is below 40°F outside. Local regulations may require higher temperatures. N.Y. Mult. Dwell. Law § 79; N.Y. Mult. Resid. Law § 173 |
City rules that may add to state law
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Vermont Mold, Pests, Heat & AC Rules FAQ
Does a landlord have to fix mold in Vermont?
No mold-specific statute, but the state Rental Housing Health Code requires every rental unit to be kept free from the regular or periodic appearance of standing water or excessive moisture that may result in visible mold growth, and bars use of humidifiers in ways that raise relative humidity above 60%. The landlord's statutory warranty of habitability requires premises that are safe, clean, fit for habitation and compliant with building, housing and health regulations; the warranty cannot be waived. (9 V.S.A. § 4457(a)-(b); Vermont Rental Housing Health Code §§ 8.2, 10.3)
Who pays for pest control and bed bugs in Vermont?
Yes, by health code. The owner must keep common spaces free from infestation (pests or bed bugs) and exterminate there, and must exterminate inside a unit when the infestation is caused by the owner's failure to maintain the building or exists in two or more units. Rooming-house owners are responsible for all rooms. The tenant must keep the unit free from infestation and pay for extermination when the infestation is caused by the tenant's failure to maintain the unit (except where the owner is responsible as above). Extermination must remove harborage and food sources and use treatments such as spraying, fumigating, heat treating or trapping. (Vermont Rental Housing Health Code §§ 4.7, 4.15, 6.1-6.3)
Does a landlord have to provide heat in Vermont?
Yes. The landlord must ensure heating facilities capable of safely providing a reasonable amount of heat, and a landlord who provides heat under the lease must supply a reasonable amount at all times (summer rentals and hunting camps excepted). The Rental Housing Health Code requires heating facilities whenever the outside temperature is below 55 degrees F, able to maintain at least 65 degrees F in all habitable rooms, kitchens and bathrooms (measured 3 feet above the floor and 3 feet from an exterior wall) without overheating one room to heat another; unvented fuel-fired space heaters are prohibited. (9 V.S.A. § 4457(c); Vermont Rental Housing Health Code §§ 7.1-7.5)
Does a landlord have to provide air conditioning in Vermont?
No statute — Vermont law and the Rental Housing Health Code do not require air conditioning or set a maximum indoor temperature. The code requires ventilation to the outdoors and screens on operable windows. (9 V.S.A. ch. 137 (checked); Vermont Rental Housing Health Code § 8.1)
Who is responsible for smoke detectors in a rental in Vermont?
Multi-unit and rented residential buildings where people sleep (other than owner-occupied single-family homes) must have one or more carbon monoxide detectors installed according to the manufacturer's requirements, and are subject to the state fire safety rules. According to the Division of Fire Safety, smoke alarm requirements for rental units come from the Vermont fire and building safety codes, and photoelectric-only smoke alarms are required near bedrooms and on each level. The statute read does not say who replaces batteries or require testing at move-in. (20 V.S.A. § 2729(c)-(d); Vermont Division of Fire Safety, Smoke Alarms)
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.