Report a wrongful eviction

The Rent Board will notify the landlord that the tenant has filed a report and will summarize the parties’ rights and obligations relating to the alleged eviction.

The Rent Board will request that the landlord provide a written response to the tenant’s claim of wrongful eviction.

If the allegation involves landlord harassment as described in Section 37.10B(a)(1)–(6) and (8)–(14) of the Rent Ordinance, the Rent Board will direct the landlord to submit a written response to the Board within seven days. If the tenant remains in the unit and the harassment is alleged to be ongoing, the landlord will also be asked to submit a compliance plan.

Possible Investigative Hearing

After reviewing the tenant’s report and any landlord response, the Rent Board may schedule an investigative hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) only if all of the following criteria are met:

• The alleged conduct occurred after February 9, 2026, and within 12 months before the report was filed;
  
• The alleged conduct either made the unit uninhabitable, is ongoing against the reporting tenant, or reflects a pattern and practice of harassment based on complaints by other tenants in the building within the past 12 months;
  
• The claims are supported by documents and/or testimony from someone other than the reporting tenant;
  
• The claims are not frivolous; and
  
• There is no pending unlawful detainer or other related civil or criminal case between the parties.

If a hearing is scheduled, the ALJ will decide whether harassment occurred and, if the tenant moved out, whether the move-out was caused by the harassment.

Under Section 317 of the Planning Code, an ALJ finding that harassment occurred and was serious enough to materially affect the tenant’s use or enjoyment of the unit (or, for a former tenant, that it led to the vacancy) may result in a five-year restriction on issuance of a demolition permit. However, the Administrative Law Judge cannot award damages, rent reductions, or other monetary relief in this proceeding.

Tags: Topic 211; Topic 362