Most friction between landlords, tenants and repair crews comes from one question: who may come in, and when. Alabama answers it in the Alabama Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, Chapter 9A of Title 35 of the Code of Alabama. The access section was rewritten in 2009, and the wording below is quoted from that enacted text. This is a practical guide for scheduling repair work, not legal advice; confirm the current statute or ask an attorney before you rely on it in a dispute.
The tenant cannot unreasonably refuse repair access
Section 35-9A-303(a) says a tenant “shall not unreasonably withhold consent” for the landlord to enter to inspect, “make necessary or agreed repairs, decorations, alterations, or improvements,” supply services, or show the unit to buyers, lenders, tenants, “workmen, or contractors.” Repair work is squarely on that list.
The two-day rule, and how notice can be given
Under § 35-9A-303(c), the landlord must not abuse the right of access or use it to harass the tenant. Unless it is impracticable, the landlord gives “at least two days' notice” and enters only at reasonable times. The statute names one delivery method outright: posting a note on the primary door of entry that states the intended time and purpose of the entry.
For a crew schedule, that means a usable notice says three things:
- The date and a time window, such as Tuesday between 9 a.m. and noon.
- The purpose, in plain words: replace the kitchen faucet, check the AC drain line, repair the bedroom ceiling.
- Who to call with a question, which is usually your office rather than the contractor.
The advance-schedule exception for maintenance
Section 35-9A-303(d) is the most useful line in the act for anyone running recurring work. If the landlord gives, separate from the lease, “a general notice or an advance schedule in excess of two days” for repairs, maintenance, pest control or service relating to health or safety, then “no additional day's notice is required.” The schedule can name a specific time or a window. The same subsection lets a tenant consent to access on less than two days' notice.
A workable pattern for property managers:
- At move-in, hand the tenant a separate maintenance schedule: filter changes, AC drain flushing, pest control, smoke alarm checks, gutter cleaning.
- Give it at least three days before the first visit, and keep a dated copy.
- For one-off repairs, post or send a two-day notice for each visit, or get the tenant's written agreement to a sooner time.
- Have the crew photograph the work and the condition of the area they worked in, and file it with the work order.
When a landlord may enter without consent
Section 35-9A-303(b) lists the situations:
- An emergency, such as active water, a gas smell or fire damage.
- A court order.
- The situations the statute cross-references in §§ 35-9A-422 and 35-9A-423(b).
- Showing the unit to a prospective tenant or buyer at reasonable times with notice, if the tenant signed a separate general notice for that purpose, within four months of the lease ending, and only with the prospect present.
- When the landlord has reasonable cause to believe the tenant has abandoned or surrendered the premises.
On the Gulf Coast the emergency case matters most during storm season. A roof leak during a tropical storm is the textbook example. Even then, tell the tenant as soon as you can, and have the crew document what was done and why.
Why your city cannot add its own rental rules
Section 35-9A-121 makes the act the exclusive remedy for residential landlord-tenant rights in Alabama, and says no county or city landlord-tenant ordinance “shall be enacted or enforced.” Cities and counties keep one power: they may enforce building codes, health codes and other general laws affecting rental property, provided those codes apply equally to similar owner-occupied homes. In practice, Mobile, Birmingham or Gulf Shores cannot impose a separate rental-repair ordinance, but a building permit is still a building permit, rented or not.
The landlord's repair duty
The Alabama REALTORS legal helpdesk summarizes § 35-9A-204 as requiring a landlord to keep the residence in habitable condition. Its 2018 overview also notes, under § 35-9A-201, that a security deposit cannot exceed one month's periodic rent and must be returned, or an itemized accounting given, within 60 days after the lease ends and possession is delivered. The move-out photos and turnover invoices from a make-ready are the evidence that itemized accounting rests on, which is one reason to keep them with the unit file.
Putting it together with a contractor
The legal duty to give notice belongs to the landlord, not the crew. A contractor should never be the one deciding whether notice was given. The cleanest arrangement is the one in this guide: your office sends the schedule or the notice, tells the crew the window, and the crew stays inside the scope and photographs the work. When the work is a full turn between tenants, the unit is vacant and the notice question disappears; see the rental turnover checklist for that job.
Sources
- Alabama Legislature, SB397 (2009 Regular Session), enrolled act amending Ala. Code §§ 35-9A-121 and 35-9A-303, alison.legislature.state.al.us (read October 16, 2026). Later amendments may change the wording; check the current Code of Alabama.
- Alabama Association of REALTORS, Legal Helpdesk, “A General Overview of Alabama's Laws on Landlords and Tenants,” March 13, 2018, alabamarealtors.com (§§ 35-9A-201 and 35-9A-204).