# Is the Landlord Responsible for a Broken Window? (Rental Repairs) | Who Pays the Repair?

> Age-related cracked panes are the landlord's cost; actual breakage from impact is charged to the tenant, per HUD's own guidance.

**Who pays:** depends

Landlord, if the pane cracked from age or the building settling, tenant, if the window is actually broken (impact damage). HUD's own tenant-damage guidance draws exactly this line.

**Boundary:** A cracked window pane from age or building settling is the landlord's normal wear-and-tear cost; a window actually broken by impact damage is charged to the tenant, HUD's own tenant-damage guidance draws exactly this line.

**Exceptions:** Impact/breakage damage caused by tenant or guest; Age/settling-related cracking stays with the landlord

## Sources
- [HUD Handbook 4350.3 Rev-1, Appendix 5C (Tenant Damage versus "Normal Wear and Tear")](https://www.hud.gov/sites/documents/hsg-06-01gapp5guid.pdf) — "Cracked window pane from faulty foundation or building settling [listed under Normal Wear and Tear] ...Broken windows [listed under Tenant Damage]." (accessed 2026-09-27)
- [California Civil Code § 1941.1](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CIV&sectionNum=1941.1.) — "Effective waterproofing and weather protection of roof and exterior walls, including unbroken windows and doors." (accessed 2026-09-27)

_Last verified 2026-09-27. Source: Who Pays the Repair? — https://whopaystherepair.com/rules/landlord-responsible-broken-window/ — every claim checked against a primary source before publication (see /methodology/)._