What are my basic rights as a tenant if my landlord won't fix something?

Landlord has been ignoring repair requests for weeks (heat isn't working properly). What are tenants actually entitled to?

In most US states, landlords have a legal obligation to keep a rental "habitable" — meaning things like working heat, plumbing, electricity, and structural safety generally can't just be ignored indefinitely, though exact standards and timelines vary by state and city. The right first step is usually to put your repair request in writing (email or letter, even if you already asked verbally) so there's a dated record, since verbal-only requests are hard to prove later. Depending on your state, if a landlord doesn't respond within a legally defined reasonable time, tenants may have options like "repair and deduct" (paying for the fix and deducting it from rent, following specific legal steps), withholding rent into an escrow account, or reporting to a local housing/code enforcement agency — but these come with real legal requirements and risks if done incorrectly, so it's worth checking your specific state or city's tenant rights resources (often free through legal aid organizations) before acting rather than assuming the process works the same everywhere.