10Nov
When the term "sexual harassment" comes up, it's often in the context of employment, such as the ubiquitous #Metoo movement.
However, a predator can sexually harass an individual in many settings besides the workplace. This includes when someone is renting or purchasing property. Californians are protected under the federal Fair Housing Act, as well as the California Fair Employment Housing Act (FEHA). These acts forbid landlords/owners (which refers to private individuals, property management companies, housing providers) and their employees/agents from engaging in this deplorable practice.
Tenant sexual harassment, like other forms of tenant harassment is not unusual. However, with the widespread loss of jobs due to the COVID-19 crisis making people more vulnerable, it's not surprising that the National Fair Housing Alliance has reported a 13 percent uptick in sexual harassment complaints since the pandemic began.
The basic definition of sexual harassment is to commit any unwelcome and nonconsensual act that is sexual in nature against an individual. Sexual harassment encompasses various forms of behavior, but it is typically divided into two main categories: quid pro quo and hostile environment. It is not uncommon for a victim to suffer from both.
Property owners/landlords and their agents may be held liable for damages (monetary compensation) to renters or buyers who suffer from sexual harassment by:
Here are some suggestions for what to do if you have been harassed:
Sexual harassment is a very serious offense that has a long-lasting impact on victims. If you've been harmed in this way, you can work with an attorney to hold your landlord accountable. Explore your options with an experienced tenants' rights attorney at Wolford Wayne. Contact us today; we're here to help you.
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.