How to Report Your Landlord for Negligence

  • Author: Devin Henry
  • Last Updated: November 19, 2024
Table of Contents

Moving into a new place comes with anticipation and the promise of a fresh start. Still, sometimes, that excitement turns to dread when you realize your new landlord neglects their responsibilities. 

What do you do when communication breaks down and essential repairs go ignored? That is when knowing how to report your landlord for negligence becomes essential. Dealing with a negligent landlord can make your living situation stressful and, in some cases, unlivable. But the good news is you have rights as a tenant, and this post is all about equipping you with the knowledge and tools to take action. 

By understanding the process of how to report your landlord for negligence, you can try and make your home a safe and comfortable space.

Key Takeaways:

  • Know Your Rights: Understanding local landlord-tenant laws and your rights as a tenant is crucial before taking action against a negligent landlord.
  • Document Everything: Keep detailed records, including photos, videos, and written communication, to build a strong case if the situation escalates.
  • Start with Communication: Attempt to resolve issues directly with your landlord through a formal complaint letter before involving external authorities.
  • Reach Out to Local Agencies: If communication fails, contact relevant local agencies, such as the housing authority or health department, for further assistance.
  • Consider Legal Action: If necessary, seek legal advice to explore your options, especially if the situation remains unresolved after contacting local agencies.

Understanding Landlord Negligence

Before you report a landlord, you should know your rights. Familiarizing yourself with local ordinances and tenant rights can protect you in the long run. Each state and even city may have its own specific rules. Local ordinances and landlord/tenant laws cover everything from security deposit amounts to deadlines for repairs. 

Websites such as HUD can also be a great resource about renters’ rights and legal aid available in your state.

Common Signs of Landlord Negligence

Landlord negligence comes in many forms, but here are a few common examples:

  • Ignoring Necessary Repairs: From leaky faucets that disrupt your morning routine to broken appliances that impact your daily life, neglected repairs are a major red flag.
  • Ignoring Pest Infestations: Nobody wants uninvited guests, especially when those guests are rodents or insects. A landlord ignoring a pest infestation is unacceptable.
  • Allowing Mold to Flourish: Mold isn’t just about aesthetics; it can pose serious health risks. The landlord should deal with it quickly and effectively.
  • Disregarding Safety Hazards: Faulty wiring, broken stairs, or other safety issues should be a top concern for the landlord and the tenant.
  • Breaching the Lease Agreement: This can include anything from entering your rental unit without proper notice to failing to provide essential services promised in the agreement.

Taking Action: How to Report Your Landlord for Negligence

Communication with your landlord is the first course of action when issues arise. It is important to document all interactions with your landlord from the get-go, preferably in writing, in case things escalate. This provides evidence and a timeline of the situation.

Send a Formal Complaint Letter

A formal complaint can be sent through a carefully worded letter or email outlining the issues. Be sure to mention how these issues affect your ability to live comfortably and safely. If the initial attempt to resolve the issue with the landlord doesn’t bring about any positive changes, it is time to contact the relevant authorities.

Reach Out to Local Agencies

If relevant, research local agencies, such as a housing authority, tenants’ union, or even the health department. Depending on your location and specific concerns, several departments may be equipped to handle the situation.

  • Local Housing Authority: This is the first line of defense for most tenants who experience negligence. Contacting the housing authority or a similar organization can connect you with resources or help you file an official complaint form.
  • Tenant’s Union: Many areas have tenant unions that advocate for tenants’ rights. These unions can be invaluable when navigating legal processes.
  • Health Department: This option applies if the landlord’s negligence leads to unhealthy or hazardous living conditions. A hazardous living condition may be something as extreme as no heat in the dead of winter. The local health department can investigate the living conditions, especially if they violate health codes, and can put pressure on landlords to fix issues.

Document Everything

Throughout this process, meticulous documentation is key. This documentation is important because you want to be prepared in small claims court should it escalate to that.

  • Taking photographs and videos of the issues.
  • Keeping a record of communication, like dates of phone calls, copies of letters or emails, and notes of in-person conversations with your landlord about any problems.
  • Saving receipts for any expenses you paid out of pocket if you made repairs yourself.

Consider Legal Options

Sometimes, the best route to resolution is through the court system. If your efforts haven’t led to positive changes, seek legal advice about your options. An attorney can provide insights specific to your location and situation. For example, there may be specific rules regarding rent stabilization in your area, and an attorney can let you know what your rights are.

Reporting to HUD (For HUD-Assisted Properties)

Tenants living in properties insured or subsidized by HUD have an additional channel for addressing payment concerns or other issues with their landlord. If you are dealing with severe negligence in such a property, remember you are not alone. HUD has a dedicated channel to report landlord negligence and misconduct.

For example, the Multifamily Housing Complaint Line handles various tenant complaints regarding safety, maintenance, or unfair treatment. Tenants of these types of properties should contact their local HUD office for support.

Complaints of housing discrimination are handled by the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.

State-Specific Resources

Here’s a quick look at some state-specific resources, especially in locations with large tenant populations:

State Housing Agencies and Resources
State Agency or Resource Contact
California The California Civil Rights Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) Submit a complaint in various ways. Email the department or download the housing intake form.
New York New York City Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Submit your report on their website or find specific instructions regarding issues like mold here.

Stand Up for Your Rights: Reporting Landlord Negligence

Remember that while you might feel helpless against landlord negligence, it is far from the truth. They have legal and moral obligations to their tenants. Knowing how to report your landlord for negligence is an essential aspect of advocating for yourself and ensuring a comfortable and secure home environment. 

Be persistent in your pursuit of having a livable home, and don’t let neglect turn your living situation into a nightmare. Hopefully, you can maintain a good tenant/landlord relationship, but you must know your rights if things go south. If you have any questions, contact us.

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Your portal includes a selection of extremely useful reports. Reports are available in the “Reports” section, and are distinct from the financial statements. Unlike financial statements which are static records, Reports are dynamic real-time records that will update with current data every time you view them. 

Scroll down to learn more about Reports:

Navigate to the "Reports" module in your portal:

Owner Portal Reports
  • Keep in mind, these reports are dynamic records. They will refresh to display current information every time you view them. 

Enhanced Rent Roll Report:

Enhanced Rent Roll Report
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Unit Comparison Report:

Unit Comparison Report
  • If you own multiple units (or buildings) with Nomadic, you’ll get access to the Unit Comparison Report. 
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Income Statement Month-Over-Month:

Income Statement by Month Report
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Financial Statements

Financial statements will be published to your portal on a monthly basis. The statements are found in your Documents library, and provide a historical record of all financial performance. The statements serve as a snapshot of financial performance over a given period, and are static documents (unlike Reports, the statements do not update/change in real-time). 

Scroll down for more info about the Financial Statements in your Documents library:

The Documents area contains monthly financial statements:

Owner Portal Documents
  • The statements in the Documents are are static documents. They are posted to the portal once a month to serve as a historical record of financial performance. 

Download a statement to see month and YTD financials:

Owner Portal Property Statement

You'll also find a month-over-month operating statement:

Month over Month Statement

Portal Communication Tool

You can use your owner portal to communicate with our team. Any messages you send through the portal will go straight to your Account Manager. When we reply, you’ll get an email notification and you’ll also see the message in your portal next time you log in. 

Here’s an overview of using the communication platform:

Click "Communications" and navigate to "Conversations":

Commincation Dashboard Screenshot
  • The communications module will contain a record of all messages that you create through the portal. 

Click the "New Message" button and send your message:

Owner Portal New Message Screenshot

Responses will show up in the conversation ticket:

Portal Conversation Response Screenshot
  • You’ll get an email notification whenever you get a response, and you’ll also see the message in your portal next time you log in. 

You can reply in-line using the comment box:

Owner Portal Comment

Each conversation will be logged in its entirety:

Portal Conversation Snapshot

Understanding the Ledger

Your portal includes a ledger with all transactions. The ledger is populated with data in real-time as transactions flow through our accounting software. Much of this information is also available in the Reports area, as well as the Statements in your Documents library, but the ledger is the most comprehensive resource for diving into the details. 

Please scroll through the sections below to get a better understanding of how to interpret the ledger. 

By default, transactions are sorted chronologically:

Owner Ledger Dates
  • The date reflected in the lefthand column is the actual transaction date, not the “bill date”. This is the date the transaction was actually processed. 

If you have multiple properties with Nomadic, you'll see the address for each transaction in the "Location" column:

Ledger Property Column
  • You can filter the ledger to look at just one property, all properties, or specific sets of properties. 
  • If you only have one property with us, you’ll just see the ledger for that property. 

The Description column displays the transaction type:

Owner Ledger Description Column
  • BILL: this is an expense transaction, such as for repair costs or management fees.
  • CHARGE: this is a transaction  billed to the tenant, most typically a rent payment. 
  • NACHA EXPORT: this is a credit we processed to your distribution account. This type of transaction is how you get paid! 

The Amount column shows the dollar value of each transaction:

Owner Ledger Amount Column
  • Positive Amounts: if an amount is positive, it reflects a transaction that is payable to you. Typically, this will be a rent payment that we collected from your tenants. On occasion, a positive number could also signify a journal entry or credit adjustment. 
  • Negative Amounts:  if an amount is negative, this is a transaction that is either payable to Nomadic or is an amount that has already been paid to you. Typically this will be for repair costs or management/leasing fees. Owner draws (net distributions into your checking/savings account) also reflect as negative amounts, since they have already been paid to you. 

The Account Balance column shows a sum of positive/negative transactions at a given point in time:

Owner Ledger Account Balance Column
  • Account Balance should always equal zero after a net distribution has been processed. When the balance is zero, this means that all expenses have been paid and you’ve received the remainder as net operating income, leaving a balance of zero (meaning: no one is due any money, as all funds have been distributed appropriately). 

Navigating the Propertyware Owner Portal

Your portal includes some extremely useful features that help you understand your property’s financial performance at a new level, with real-time transparency into every transaction.

Scroll through the snapshots below for an overview of portal navigation! If you need more help or have specific questions about using the portal, you can reach out to your Account Manager any time for a screen share. 

You can filter all info by date range or property:

PW Portal Filters

View a snapshot of income and expenses on your dashboard:

PW Owner Dashboard View

See every transaction in real-time on your ledger:

Owner Portal Ledger View

Statements and forms will be posted to your documents library:

Owner Portal Document Library

View a suite of real-time financial reports:

Portal Reports View

See a running list of all bills, and drill down for more detail:

Owner Portal Bills View

Under Bill Details, you'll find dates/descriptions/amounts and more:

Portal Bill Details

You can also communicate with your Account Manager through the portal:

Owner Portal Communication Tools

How do net distributions work?

Net distributions keep your accounting clean and simple. Each month we’ll collect rent from the tenants, deduct any repair expenses for the previous month and any management/leasing fees for the current month, and credit the remaining net operating income to your account. 

Net Distribution

You’ll receive a statement via email each time a net distribution is processed, and can view all transaction details in your Propertyware owner portal.