Retaliation

Your landlord may not punish you for using your rights. Reporting unsafe conditions to a housing inspector cannot legally get you evicted. The law calls this payback retaliation, and it is not allowed.

In most states, your landlord cannot raise the rent to punish you for using a legal right. Examples: you reported unsafe conditions to the city, or you joined a tenant group. This is called retaliation.

In most states, your landlord cannot punish you for reporting problems. For example, a landlord cannot end your tenancy because you complained to a government agency about repairs. If your landlord punishes you for a complaint, check your state's guide for what you can do.

Your landlord may not evict you as punishment. For example, they may not evict you because you reported housing code violations. They also may not evict you because you sued them for housing discrimination. Tell the court if this happened to you.

Payback evictions are illegal. Your landlord cannot evict you within 6 months of you asking for repairs or reporting code problems. This defense does not cover unpaid rent cases.

Your landlord cannot raise your rent to punish you for a protected action. The law calls this punishment retaliation. The protection covers the 6 months after you take a protected action.

Your landlord cannot punish you for reporting them or taking them to court over this. This is called retaliation.

Retaliation is a defense. If your landlord started the eviction (or sent the notice to quit) within six months after you reported code violations, joined a tenants' union, or otherwise enforced your housing rights, the law presumes the eviction is retaliatory — and the landlord can only overcome that presumption with clear and convincing evidence.

Your landlord cannot raise your rent or end your lease because the city cited the property for violations. Punishing you for asking for repairs breaks city law too.

Raising the rent to punish you is also banned under state discrimination law. The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission handles those complaints. You have 180 days to file a complaint with the Commission.