Landlord Responsibilities
The landlord must:
- Supply the tenant in writing with the landlord's name and address.
- Make the house or apartment comply with all building, housing, and health codes which significantly affect health and safety.
- Make all repairs necessary to make the house or apartment livable.
- Supply running water, reasonable amounts of hot water and heat at all times.
- Keep all hallways and stairways safe and sanitary.
- Provide garbage cans (for four or more units in the same building.)
- Give tenant at least 24 hours notice before entering the apartment. A landlord cannot walk in for any reason. Except for an emergency, a tenant may refuse to admit the landlord if proper notice has not been given.
- Maintain in good and safe working order and condition all electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating, and air conditioning fixtures and appliances, and elevators, supplied or required to be supplied by the landlord.
There are several things that landlords are prohibited by law from doing:
- A landlord cannot do anything to prevent a tenant from exercising rights. The landlord may not increase rent, decrease services, bring, or even threaten to bring an eviction because a tenant participated in a tenant's union, contacted the Health Department, or sought advice from SLS.
- A landlord is not permitted to shut off any utilities, change the locks on any apartment or threaten any of these acts in order to make a tenant move out of an apartment.
- A landlord cannot harass a tenant by repeatedly demanding to enter an apartment or by entering at unreasonable times of the day.
- A landlord is not permitted to remove any property belonging to a tenant from a dwelling without a proper court order.
Even if a tenant is behind in paying rent, a landlord has no right to do any of the things listed in this section. If the landlord does anyway, the tenant should consult SLS.