{"data":{"id":"us-mt/70-24-405","jurisdiction":"us-mt","citation":"70-24-405","heading":"Failure of landlord to deliver possession -- tenant's remedies.","body":"(1) If the landlord fails to deliver possession of the dwelling unit to the tenant as provided in 70-24-302, rent abates until possession is delivered and the tenant may:\n(a) terminate the rental agreement upon at least 5 days' written notice to the landlord, and upon termination, the landlord shall return all prepaid rent and security; or\n(b) demand performance of the rental agreement by the landlord and, if the tenant elects, maintain an action for possession of the dwelling unit against the landlord or a person wrongfully in possession and recover the actual damages sustained by the tenant.\n(2) If a person's failure to deliver possession is purposeful and not in good faith, an aggrieved party may recover from that person an amount not more than 3 months' periodic rent or treble damages, whichever is greater.","path":["TITLE 70. PROPERTY","CHAPTER 24. RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD AND TENANT ACT OF 1977","Part 4. Remedies"],"source_url":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0700/chapter_0240/part_0040/section_0050/0700-0240-0040-0050.html","current_through":"Montana Code Annotated 2025","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T04:58:43Z","sha256":"dfb431e0833cb9e953593198a8418175c6d359a8fdddd0bc874c9423383d59ac","source_id":"us-mt","stale":false,"prev":"us-mt/70-24-404","next":"us-mt/70-24-406"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}