Oftentimes, you ask yourself a question, whenever you’re frustrated with your landlord, “Can i sue my landlord?”.  More often than not, landlords do take care of the issues before they get sued. However, if you’re living in unbearable conditions, your landlord should be aware that you can exert your legal rights and cause him some serious troubles. However, you would have to have very good proof that your landlord is either breaking a law or violating terms of your leasing agreement. If you want to sue your landlord, you have to understand that it’s a quite time-consuming process, which will take most of your time and energy.  However, here are some of the reasons for you to figure out if it’s worth your while.

Your Landlord is Withholding Security Deposit 

After your lease ends and you’ve moved out, your security deposit should be returned back to you within a 30 day period (provided no damages have been done by you). If your landlord is withholding it, you must write an official letter to him/her demanding that the security deposit be released to you. If landlord fails to respond or refund it back, you may file against your landlord in court.

You Got Injured on Landlord’s Premises  

Deliberate negligence on your landlord’s part could lead you to file a case. For example, if your landlord is not keeping up with repairs and you’ve informed about it, which eventually led you to get injured – then it’s going to be a problem.  Make sure that you always have proof that ‘work order’ for specific repair was opened.

You Become a Victim of Housing Discrimination 

As you may already know, the Federal Fair Housing Act protects all tenants from being discriminated against regardless of their race, religion, color, sex, disability or familial status. If you feel you’ve been victim of housing discrimination, you should file an official complain with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  They will investigate the matter and they take it pretty seriously.

Alternatives to Risky Lawsuits with Your Landlord  

Attorney fees can mount up and become quite expensive.  You have to also assume the risk of your landlord filing a counter suit against you.  If you lose it, you may be responsible for damages that landlord has suffered and pay the fees back. Best recommendation is to write a certified letter of demand to your landlord requesting what needs to be done. Make sure to keep proper documentation, in the event that you may have to file a lawsuit.