How to Respond to a Retaliatory Landlord

Exercise your rights as a tenant if you believe your landlord is retaliating against you for past actions. Here are some steps that will help your case.

Things You'll Need

• File Cabinets
• Attorney Referral Services
• Mediator
• File Folders
• Notebook Papers
• Pens

Instructions

1. Contact your local housing authorities or an attorney about your rights as a tenant if you believe your landlord is taking retaliatory measures against you for such actions as deducting repair costs from your rent or issuing complaints to local housing authorities.

2. Keep copies of all correspondence and document all conversations with your landlord.

3. Protest the retaliatory measures by writing a letter to your landlord expressing your disagreement and requesting that the action be revoked.

4. Consider hiring a mediation service to reach an agreement with your landlord if the landlord does not respond to your request within a reasonable period of time.

5. Consider consulting an attorney about your landlord's retaliatory measures, especially if you have received an eviction notice.

6. Consider legal action if other means to reach an agreement with your landlord are not successful.

Tips & Warnings

• Your landlord's actions - such as increasing your rent, limiting services or evicting you - may be considered retaliatory if they take place within 90 days after you've filed a complaint or taken other action against the landlord, depending on the laws in your state.

• Judges who rule in favor of the tenant may require the landlord to pay for the tenant's legal fees and to correct the retaliatory measures.

• Since landlord-tenant laws are confusing and complex, seek legal advice when responding to a retaliatory landlord to protect your own rights as a tenant.