How to Handle Tenant Harassment as a Landlord

Key Takeaways

• Tenant harassment refers to any hostile or disruptive behavior by a renter that is intended to intimidate or threaten the landlord or property manager. It can range from verbal abuse and repeated late-night calls to serious acts like property damage or threats of violence. 
• The proper response to a harassing tenant includes staying calm and professional, asking the tenant in writing to cease the behavior, and issuing formal warnings or notices if it continues. If harassment escalates to serious threats or safety risks, involve the police and consider obtaining a restraining order. ‍
• Preventing tenant harassment starts before move-in. Rigorous tenant screening (background checks, credit history, and past evictions) helps identify red flags early. Speaking with previous landlords or references can also reveal patterns of problematic behavior. Setting clear lease terms and respectful communication from the outset further reduces the risk of misunderstandings or conflicts.

In property management, the landlord and tenant relationship affects everything from resolving disputes to keeping rental agreements on track. When that relationship breaks down, issues like harassing behavior, late-night calls, or threats can escalate into missed rent or delayed eviction proceedings.

One of the best ways to prevent these problems in the first place is to screen tenants thoroughly before approving an application. A strong screening process helps you spot red flags early, including past evictions, criminal charges, or credit concerns, so you can protect your property and your legal rights from the start.

In this guide, we will cover how landlords can protect themselves from tenant harassment, what behaviors to watch for, and the steps you can take to stay safe and compliant.

First, let’s define what qualifies as tenant harassment.

What Does Tenant Harassment Entail?

Tenant harassment generally refers to any act by a tenant that is intended to intimidate, threaten, or continually disturb the landlord or property manager. It isn’t limited to outright threats or violence—harassment can be as simple as a tenant who constantly uses obscene language or deliberately disrupts neighbors’ peace. 

These behaviors create an environment of fear or unease for landlords (and often for other tenants) and should never be tolerated.

Common examples of tenant harassment include:

• Refusing to pay rent or lying about rent payments (for instance, falsely claiming that a check is “in the mail”)
• Making excessive noise or causing frequent disturbances that lead to multiple neighbor complaints
• Sending the landlord threatening or abusive communications, such as hostile emails, texts, or phone calls
• Intentionally damaging the rental property or vandalizing the premises
• Refusing to vacate the unit after proper notice or lease termination, effectively ignoring eviction proceedings
• Harassing other tenants in the building (thereby infringing on those tenants’ rights to quiet enjoyment and habitability)
• Showing up at the landlord’s personal home or workplace uninvited to intimidate or confront them
• Engaging in or threatening physical violence against the landlord or their staff

Although some of these behaviors are more extreme than others, all of them are considered forms of harassment that warrant prompt attention. In many cases, such actions also violate the lease agreement or even local laws, meaning the landlord has grounds to take formal action against the offending tenant.

How NOT to Deal With Tenant Harassment

When facing a harassing tenant, it may be tempting to react out of frustration. However, certain retaliatory actions are not only unproductive – they are illegal and can make matters far worse for the landlord. Avoid these mistakes:

How to Deal With Tenant Harassment

Handling a harassing tenant requires a calm, step-by-step approach. Landlords should focus on stopping the behavior while staying within the law and protecting their rights. Here are the proper steps to take:

1. Document Everything & Ask the Tenant to Stop

The first step in dealing with any problematic tenant is to kindly ask them to stop. You can do this by sending them an email, letter, message, or anything that can be recorded. It is essential to make sure that all communications are recorded as they can be used in court someday.

Sometimes, the tenant will come to reason with the landlord and agree to stop the harassment. This usually happens if the landlord clearly explains the consequences that they will face if they continue the harassment. If they agree to stop, the landlord and the tenant simply continue to coexist until the lease is expired.

However, if they do not agree to stop, the landlord may move on to more severe methods of dealing with the harassing tenant.

2. Serve an Official Notice and Begin the Eviction Process

If the tenant refuses to stop the harassment, the landlord may be left with no choice but to begin an eviction process. An eviction process can be very costly for both the tenant and the landlord. It can also be a very lengthy process and can even lead to violent altercations.

The first, and most important step, is to send the tenant proper notice. This eviction notice should be a written notice and should alert the tenant that they are being evicted and let them know what rights they have in the process. From there, the landlord must follow a few legal guidelines to make sure that the entire eviction goes as smoothly as possible.

If these laws are not followed, the landlord can end up in big trouble.

Want to read more about your state's landlord-tenant laws? Visit DoorLoop's Laws Page to learn all about your state's landlord-tenant laws and eviction laws.

3. Involve Law Enforcement for Serious Threats or Danger

If the tenant assaults you or threatens to do something that puts you in any form of danger, you should contact the police. The reason that the police must be contacted is that the landlord has been put in danger, so they require protection.

This could lead to the tenant facing legal consequences and sequentially being evicted from the property.

If the threats were especially threatening, or if the landlord still feels in danger, a restraining order should be requested. For this, however, the landlord should keep a copy of the police report to help their case.

These are the main ways to deal with a tenant that is causing trouble. But, one question remains, how can all of these problems be prevented in general?

In the next section, we will be going over how to prevent having to deal with problematic tenants in general.

How to Prevent Tenant Harassment

The best way to deal with harassing tenants is to avoid renting to them in the first place. While you can never be 100% certain how a person will behave, there are key steps that significantly lower your risk of ending up with a hostile tenant:

• Screen tenants thoroughly before approval. Implement a rigorous background and credit check for every applicant. A strong screening process will uncover red flags like prior evictions, criminal records, or poor credit history – factors that often correlate with troublesome tenant behavior. Using a trusted, FCRA-compliant tenant screening service like DoorLoop’s can help you filter out high-risk applicants and protect your property from the start.
• Contact previous landlords or references. Don’t skip reference checks. Speaking with a prospective tenant’s former landlords can reveal how that person behaved in a rental setting. If a candidate has a history of harassing landlords or neighbors, a past landlord’s warning can save you from inheriting that problem. Employers or personal references may also provide insight into the tenant’s reliability and temperament.
• Set clear rules and expectations from day one. Make sure your lease agreement and welcome materials plainly outline the rules on rent payments, noise, guests, and appropriate conduct. Communicate your policies upfront and ensure the tenant understands them. When tenants know the boundaries and consequences early on, they are less likely to claim ignorance or push those limits later.
• Foster a respectful landlord-tenant relationship. Maintaining open, professional communication can prevent minor frustrations from snowballing into major conflicts. Respond promptly to maintenance requests and address tenant concerns in good faith. Treating tenants fairly and with respect goes a long way – a renter who feels heard and valued is less likely to resort to hostile behavior. By setting a positive tone, you minimize the chances of disputes escalating into harassment.

Conclusion

Managing a situation where a tenant is harassing you is never easy. It’s crucial for landlords to stay professional, patient, and informed throughout the process. 

By avoiding knee-jerk reactions and instead following the lawful steps – from clear communication and documentation to formal eviction proceedings – you can resolve the issue while protecting your rights. Equally important, proactive measures like careful tenant screening and setting clear expectations will help minimize the likelihood of harassment issues in the future. 

Dealing with a harassing tenant is stressful, but with the right approach, you can safeguard your property and maintain a safer, more respectful rental environment.