What a no-hot-water claim may recover
You may be able to recover for time spent without hot water — including a reduction in the value of your rent and related hardship — if the landlord was responsible and failed to act. The amount depends on the facts.
Paying full rent for a home missing a basic service, and the hardship of going without hot water, can be part of a habitability claim. What a tenant may recover depends on how long the outage lasted, what the landlord knew and did, and how it affected the household — with more at stake for a long outage or a vulnerable family.
No one can promise a specific figure without reviewing the details, so be cautious of anyone who quotes an amount up front. Keep records of the dates you were without hot water and how it affected you. A free, confidential review can tell you whether your situation is worth pursuing.
This is general information about California tenant rights, not legal advice. Every situation is different.