Protecting the tenant: Red flags of renter rights breach

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As provided for by statutory laws, the course of a lease contract should be smooth sailing all the way for the tenant. If there are issues that are encountered, most of them should be minor in nature and should be easily settled with common sense and diplomatic dialogue. Less frequently, though, some issues may seriously threaten the renter’s enjoyment of the rental—or worse, the renter’s ability to stay in the property.

In the event of the following cases, employing the services of lawyers, like Cheryl Chadwick, Evan Granowitz, and Ellen Kaufman Wolf, is the most effective way to preserve the following tenant rights:

1. Unreasonable forcible eviction. If the landlord serves a termination notice without any justifiable reason—especially if this is done without undergoing proper court procedures—then tenants may fight back by bringing the matter to court. No matter how seemingly valid a landlord’s case may be against a tenant, these aren’t legal justifications to take matters into one’s own hands.

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2. Discrimination. Surprisingly, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) still receives over 10,000 discrimination complaints in a year. If the HUD investigates and finds a reasonable cause to believe that the landlord is discriminating the tenant, then the latter may be sued for the damages that the tenant has suffered.

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3. Property is damaged and the landlord refuses to make necessary repairs. Potentially fatal damages may come in seemingly innocuous cases, such as a broken window pane, a dysfunctional heating system, and a leaking ceiling. If these have been brought to the landlord’s attention yet no action has been done, then legal action may be taken.

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For more information, visit WolfGroupLA.com.