Landlord Harassment Lawyer in Los Angeles
Landlord harassment is illegal. California state law and local city ordinances protect tenants against harassment.
It Is Illegal For Landlords To Harass Their Tenants?
Landlord harassment is illegal. California state law and Los Angeles local city ordinances protect tenants against harassment. Whether physical or verbal, all landlord harassment has the same goal—to force the tenant to move out. Harassment is when a landlord uses persistent aggressive methods, fraud, coercion, or intimidation to get a tenant to do what the landlord wants. Harassment is meant to disrupt the tenant’s legal right to quiet enjoyment of their unit in order to force the tenant to move or to force the tenant to refrain from pursuing any potential legal rights they may have against the landlord.
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Why Would A Landlord Harass A Tenant?
In rent-controlled jurisdictions, landlords are highly motivated to get long-term tenants to move out in order to raise the rent to market rate. Many landlords rely on the assumption that tenants do not know their legal rights. Harassment of the tenant is pursued to avoid costly legal fees and the hassle of a legal eviction and, most importantly, the landlord typically has no actual cause to evict the tenant other than their bad faith motivation to substantially raise the rent.
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Our experienced tenant lawyers in California are committed to helping tenants claim their rights that have been neglected for too long. With decades of experience, we have recovered millions from landlords who fail to provide safe properties as required by law. We aim to empower tenants with knowledge and determination to fight for justice.
Landlord harassment claims can sometimes be difficult to prove. These cases often come down to a tenant’s ability to prove the harassment. Tenants need to be extremely diligent in notating each harassing event. Tenants should maintain a log with dates and times. If possible, they should also get statements from friends and neighbors, and take pictures and recordings. If a tenant feels that they are in physical danger, they should call the police and can also pursue a restraining order against their landlord.
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It is illegal for a landlord to induce a tenant to leave a unit by the use of “force, willful threats, or menacing conduct”; by threatening to disclose the citizenship status of the tenant or the tenant’s guests; by entering the tenant’s unit in substantial violation of the law; and to take, deprive, or remove the tenant’s property from the unit without consent. Cal. Civ. Code § 1940.2. Landlords who are found to have harassed their tenants are liable for punitive damages of up to $2,000.00 for each violation of the law. Id. Tenants do not have to be actually evicted or constructively evicted to be awarded damages for harassment. Id. Additionally, the state’s anti-retaliation statute prevents a landlord from harassing a tenant after the tenant has asserted rights under law. Cal. Civ. Code § 1942.5. Landlords who violate this prohibition are liable for actual damages, attorney’s fees, and punitive damages of up to $2,000 per retaliatory act. Id.
NO UPFRONT COSTS
Our experienced tenant lawyers in California are committed to helping tenants claim their rights that have been neglected for too long. With decades of experience, we have recovered millions from landlords who fail to provide safe properties as required by law. We aim to empower tenants with knowledge and determination to fight for justice.
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