21Mar
If you are being harassed by your landlord, it’s likely putting you in a very challenging position. You know that you should never have to accept illegal behavior or living conditions, but you may also fear losing your home and peace of mind if your landlord retaliates against you. If this is the situation you find yourself in, you probably have a lot of questions. Fortunately, help is available. Here, we offer answers to some of the most commonly asked questions we get about tenant harassment. For detailed guidance on your specific circumstances, we recommend that you discuss your concerns with an experienced San Francisco tenant harassment attorney.
While harassment from a landlord can come in many forms, there are several types of behaviors that squarely fit in San Francisco's rules as tenant harassment, including:
The fact is that as a tenant, you have legal rights, and whatever form of harassment your landlord is engaging in (whether it is listed here or not), consulting with a dedicated tenant harassment attorney can help you determine the best path forward.
Having a difficult landlord is never easy, and it’s understandable that many harassed tenants feel forced to simply move out. After all, forcing tenants out of their homes is often the goal of tenant harassment.
However, before you give up and move, talk to an attorney about your options. While tenants who are forced into moving out due to harassment may have a case for what is called constructive eviction and may be able to recover damages from their prior landlord, it is usually in your best interest to avoid having to move at all. There are several proactive steps you can take to help protect yourself:
If a dispute or harassment claim involving your landlord does occur, following these steps can help you confidently pursue your rights and, if necessary, establish a pattern of intentionally harmful behavior by your landlord.
There are, of course, legal and legitimate reasons for which a landlord can evict a tenant from a rental unit. However, in order to evict a tenant, there are rules that landlords must follow, including providing you with appropriate notice. If you live in a city like San Francisco, Oakland, or Berkeley that has eviction control, your landlord must have a "just cause" to evict you. If a landlord forces you to vacate without going through the eviction process or you feel you have no choice but to leave due to harassment, you may be entitled to substantial damages.
The exact definitions and penalties for landlord harassment vary by location and the severity of the conduct, but if you live in San Francisco, Oakland, or Berkeley, California you may be entitled to bring a lawsuit against your landlord.
In San Francisco, for example, landlords who violate the tenant harassment provision in the city’s Rent Ordinance may face both civil and criminal penalties. A tenant may be entitled to three times their actual damages as well as compensation for emotional or mental distress.
Your home should be your safe haven, and if you are dealing with harassing behavior from your landlord, the seasoned San Francisco tenant harassment attorneys at Wolford Wayne can help. Our knowledgeable and compassionate team has dedicated their practice to skillfully fighting for the legal rights – and rightful compensation – of tenants like you. Please don’t hesitate to contact us today for more information about how we can help you protect yourself from an unethical landlord.
Recovered on behalf of a group of 30 tenants living in an SRO in San Francisco who were living with horrendous conditions in their rent controlled apartments, including rodents, bedbugs, mold, water leaks and harassment.Read More
Recovered on behalf of three families living in a building in San Francisco’s SOMA neighborhood who were forced to live with substandard conditions for years as a result of their landlord’s negligence, including issues with lack of heat, lack of hot water and cockroach/rat infestations.Read More
Recovered on behalf of a couple living in a rent-controlled home in the outer Sunset neighborhood. Our clients were forced to vacate after the landlord served them with an Owner Move-In Eviction Notice. After the landlords failed to move into the property, our clients filed suit for wrongful eviction.Read More
Recovered on behalf of a San Francisco tenant in Russian Hill. Tenant was forced to vacate her illegal apartment in retaliation for reporting unlawful rent increases to the San Francisco Rent Board.Read More
Recovered for a single long-term tenant in San Francisco. Our client was forced to move out of his apartment as a result of extreme landlord harassment.Read More
Recovered on behalf of three long-term tenants in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood who were constructively evicted due to noise and nuisance conditions created by their downstairs neighbors, which the owner refused to address.Read More
Recovered on behalf of elderly, disabled tenant who was forced to move out of her rent-controlled San Francisco apartment of 50 years after landlord/owner failed to resolve numerous building code violations that remained outstanding for over a decade.Read More
Recovered on behalf of seven tenants living in a makeshift boarding house in East Palo Alto.Read More
Recovered on behalf of two former San Francisco tenants who were evicted via an Owner Move-In Eviction and owner failed to occupy the unit as her primary place of residence.Read More
Recovered on behalf of an elderly long-term tenant who was forced to vacate her long San Francisco apartment as a result of her landlord’s refusal to address longstanding defective conditions, including lack of heat, mold, rodent infestations, and defective plumbing. Read More
Recovered on behalf of a San Francisco tenant who was forced to vacate his home as a result of ongoing, disruptive construction and the owners’ refusal to provide him with alternative housing. Read More
Recovered on behalf of a San Francisco family that was constructively evicted from their home in the Richmond District as a result of unlawful rent increases, defective conditions and tenant harassment.Read More
Recovered on behalf of a tenant living in an illegal “in-law” unit. In this case, a new owner purchased the building and then demolished our client’s unit without permits while she was displaced for seismic retrofitting.Read More
Recovered on behalf of two long term San Francisco tenants who were fraudulently evicted from their home of over twenty years under the pretext of an owner move-in eviction.Read More
Recovered for tenant who was injured when their stairway railing collapsed at the tenant’s Mission District apartment building.Read More
Recovered in action for a group of tenants forced to vacate their San Francisco apartment house due to severe habitability defects including mold and water leaks.Read More
For more information or to discuss your legal situation, call us today at (415) 649-6203 for a phone consultation or submit an inquiry below. Please note our firm can only assist tenants residing in San Francisco, Oakland & Berkeley.