Landlord Harassment Support
Harassing a Tenant is Illegal
California state laws, as well as local city ordinances, prohibit a wide spectrum of landlord harassment – both physical and verbal. Unfortunately, landlord harassment is all too common across the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area.
Landlord harassment can be defined as any activity which uses aggression, coercion, intimidation, or fraud to compel a tenant to vacate their rental property by removing their right to quiet enjoyment. This not only disrupts the tenant’s living conditions but can also impact their quality of life.
Why Does Landlord Harassment Take Place?
As the home of one of the most volatile rental markets, landlords with properties in the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area are often enticed by ever-rising rental prices to bring new tenants into their properties.
By harassing their tenants landlords attempt to avoid costly legal fees and lengthy delays associated with legal evictions.
If this sounds like something you’ve experienced, don’t worry – we’re on your side.
How Can I Prove Landlord Harassment?
While it is not always straightforward to prove landlord harassment, there are actions tenants can take to help prove their case.
- Communicating with your landlord only in writing [email, text messages, letters, etc.].
- Video recording any in person harassment.
- Contacting your cities Rent Board. Code Enforcement department.
- f you have been physically threatened, filing a civil restraining order against your landlord.
Landlord harassment laws in the state of California
Forcing a tenant to vacate a property via the use of ‘force, willful threats, or menacing conduct’ is illegal in the state of California. This can include threatening to disclose a tenant’s citizenship status or that of their guests, entering the property without permission, or removing a tenant’s property without consent. *See Cal. Civ. Code § 1940.2*
Any landlord found guilty of tenant harassment may be liable for damage reparations of up to $2,000 per violation. It is not required for tenants to have been evicted at the time of court proceedings, and landlords are prohibited from harassing a tenant post-proceedings by California’s anti-retaliation statute. Cal. Civ. Code § 1942.5. Violation of this statute can make the landlord liable for damages, both actual and punitive, and legal fees up to the value of $2,000 per retaliatory act.