Landlord Harassment Letter
Tenants have federal and state protections against harassment, illegal entry, and retaliation. A cease and desist letter is often step one.
Common landlord violations
- Entering without 24-hour notice (in most states)
- Shutting off utilities to force you out
- Changing locks or removing your belongings
- Retaliating after a repair request or code complaint
- Excessive texts, calls, or visits
- Threatening eviction without legal process
What the letter should demand
Stop the specific conduct, provide required notice before entry, restore any shut-off services, and refrain from retaliation. Cite your state's landlord-tenant statute and any local rent-stabilization or just-cause ordinance.
After sending
File complaints with your city's rental housing office, your state attorney general, and, for federally subsidized housing, HUD. Keep every text, email, and voicemail as evidence.
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StopAndDesist provides self-help templates and is not a law firm. This page is information, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Related letters, calculators, and guides
Keep going, here are the most useful pages for people who read this one.
State-specific penalties for entries, lockouts, and habitability.
Escalate noise, nuisance, and boundary issues formally.
Log every incident with photos, PDFs, audio, and video.
The general-purpose C&D template with statute citations.
When a letter is not enough, escalating to court.