Walk It Through: The Lockout
Changed locks while the tenant was at work, the power cut, and one and one-half times the damages.
After an argument over late rent, the tenant comes home to find the locks changed.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
A lockout of a residential tenant during a rent dispute. A court ordered eviction carried out by officers, and an abandoned unit, are left out.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Essential servicesRunning water, hot water, heat, sanitary facilities and other essential services the landlord supplies, whose failure gives the tenant remedies after written notice.
- Notice to quitThe written notice that comes before an eviction case, stating the breach, any fix and deadline, and when the tenancy ends.
- Retaliatory conductRaising rent, cutting services, or bringing or threatening an eviction after a tenant complained, enforced rights, or joined a tenants' union.