What is Tenant Harassment?
by Ana Del-Zio
In LA County, tenants are protected against harassment from their landlord by TAHO (Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance).
The following actions are violations of TAHO and entitle tenants to legal protection and monetary compensation.
Intentionally withholding or threatening to withhold required housing services, including changing locks, removing doors or windows, and shutting off utilities.
Or, if the landlord removes a housing service to force the tenant to vacate. For example, removing a parking space when the tenant has nowhere else to park. Even if the unit still has basic habitability, these kinds of actions can still be harassment.
If the landlord does any of the following in bad faith
Fails to make repairs or ignores basic safety protocols during repair work.
Using non-required construction or remodeling to pressure the tenant to leave.
Refuses to accept a rent payment, refuses to process a valid payment for more than 30 days, or does not provide a valid address for rent delivery.
Pressures the tenant for immigration, citizenship, protected class, or Social Security information beyond what the law requires or shares the tenant’s private protected information.
Makes a tenant’s reasonable accommodation request harder by demanding excessive or irrelevant information.
Abusing the right of entry.
For example, unnecessary inspections, making excessive or targeted entries, demanding entry at unreasonable times, refusing reasonable rescheduling, misrepresenting the purpose of entry, or photographing or recording beyond what the law allows.
Pressuring a tenant to move out through fraud, intimidation, or coercion, including threats to report the tenant to the Department of Homeland Security.
Threatening physical harm or using abusive, provocative language.
Discriminating based on a protected characteristic or source of income.
Knowingly serving a baseless eviction notice or filing a baseless eviction case.
However, tenants can only recover money if they receive a favorable judgment on the eviction case.
Removing tenant property without written consent.
Giving false or misleading information about tenant protection laws or eviction notices,
For example, pressuring the tenant to sign a new lease in a language the tenant does not use when the landlord knows the tenant’s primary language, or pressuring the tenant into a rent repayment plan by falsely implying the law requires it.
Repeatedly offering cash to move out after the tenant has declined in writing.
Communicating with a tenant in their non-primary language to intimidate, confuse, deceive, or annoy them.
Repeated acts that substantially disturb a tenant’s peace and are intended to push the tenant to move out or waive rights.
Interfering with tenants organizing mutual aid and protection.
For example, blocking access for tenant organizers or advocates, blocking tenant meetings in spaces allowed by the rental agreement, or blocking distribution or posting of tenant rights materials in permitted common areas.
Damages Recoverable by the Tenant
A tenant who proves a violation can recover money compensation and court ordered penalties. The court can award the following penalties.
A penalty of at least $2,000 and no more than $5,000 for each violation.
The court can add up to $5,000 more for each violation if the tenant is age 62 or older or is disabled.
Each day the landlord commits, allows, or continues a violation counts as a separate violation and can increase the total penalty.
If you think your landlord is trying to force you out or is violating these rules, contact Tenants Law Firm. We can help you protect your housing and recover the money the law allows.