If the landlord deliberately or negligently fails to supply hot or cold running water, heat, or other essential service, you may give written notice to the landlord of the problem, have the repair made and deduct the cost from the rent (§ 76-1427).
It is important to remember that the remedy of having the repair work done and deducting the cost from rent is limited to situations in which the landlord has deliberately or negligently failed to supply hot or cold running water, heat, or other essential services.
It is always a good idea to call the landlord first when such an emergency occurs and give the landlord a chance to have the repair made. It is best to resort to the remedy of "repair and deduct" only after you have tried unsuccessfully to contact the landlord or the landlord fails to take action. Any tenant using the repair and deduct remedy must immediately give written notice to the landlord of the emergency.