Protections for CSFRA and MHRSO Covered Tenants

If your rental unit is protected under the CSFRA or the MHRSO, there are regulations to safeguard tenants from harassment and retaliation by their landlord. These rules defend tenants when they assert their rights—such as requesting repairs, reporting code violations, or joining a tenant organization.

The regulations also prohibit a landlord from harassing a tenant and provide examples of such harassment. Harassment includes actions undertaken in bad faith, such as:

• Threatening to evict a tenant without a lawful reason
• Not making necessary repairs or turning off services like heat, water, or electricity.
• Entering a tenant’s home without proper notice
• Pressuring a tenant to vacate or relinquish their rights
• Using threatening, intimidating, or unwelcome language
• Threatening to release or releasing a tenant's private information, including their residence, immigration status, or social security number.

For the full text of the Anti-Retaliation and Anti-Harassment Regulations:
CSFRA Regulations Chapter 14
MHRSO Regulations Chapter 13

If a landlord harasses or retaliates against a tenant for exercising their rights, the regulations specify legal options and protections available to tenants.

A tenant can submit a report to the City to document the landlord’s actions, including harassment, retaliation, and/or wrongful eviction. The purpose of the report is solely to notify the City of alleged unlawful behavior, and the tenant's filing of a report does not obligate the City to take any further action. The report can be submitted using the following form:

Anti-Retaliation and Anti-Harassment Forms