criminal complaint against the landlord, or sue him/her for money damages and attorney's fees. Because of these options for recourse, it may be to the tenant's advantage to complain about code violations in writing before the landlord issues a notice of eviction or a rent increase. If a tenant in England & Wales attempts to claim retaliation but did not complain about the breach until after receiving notice from the landlord, the tenant will be found to have no valid claim under the Retaliatory eviction legislation Consumer protection law Consumer protection laws provide protection against landlord harassment in some states. One such statute is Chapter 93A of the Massachusetts General Laws, commonly called the "Consumer Protection Law". Like the Federal Trade Commission Act on which it is based, and similar "baby FTC" laws in other states, it prohibits the use of any unfair and deceptive acts and practices in the conduct of any trade or business. Housing rental is generally considered to be a trade or business, and the Massachusetts Attorney General has issued regulations which define unfair and deceptive acts or practices in the rental housing field. Practices defined as unfair include failure by the landlord to disclose, to a tenant or prospective tenant, any fact of the disclosure of which may have influenced the latter not to enter into the transaction. Also defined as an unfair practice is any violation of any law meant to protect consumers and any act which is oppressive or otherwise unconscionable in any respect. While the Consumer Protection Law provides some protections for tenants. If a landlord is the owner-occupant of a two-family or three-family house and owns no other rental property, he or she is not considered to be engaged in a trade or business, and is not subject to this law. The 2016 New York commercial ordinance prevents a landlord from taking actions that will cause a commercial tenant to vacate their property or to surrender any rights. See also Arizona Tenants Advocates Landlord–tenant law Rent regulation Right to housing References External links Housing and Anti-Social Behaviour: The Way Ahead a summary of research initiatives and legal steps regarding housing problems (United Kingdom) Are you being harassed by your landlord? at Salford City Council website (United Kingdom) Landlord Harassment prevention laws in California and the San Francisco Bay Area (United States of America) How to deal with landlord Tenant harassment |