There are some practical steps you can take:
Write to or email your landlord or letting agent
Write to or email your landlord or letting agent to tell them to stop harassing or threatening you. Tell them that they are acting unlawfully and if it continues you will take legal action.
Keep copies of every letter or email that you send and/or receive.
If you have a conversation with your landlord or agent follow this up with a letter or email that confirms what was said and what was agreed.
Stay safe
Have a friend or adviser with you whenever you have to deal with your landlord in person.
Contact the police if your landlord:
- makes you feel unsafe in your home
- threatens you with violence or is violent.
Call 101 or 999 if it is an emergency. You can call them any time of day or night.
Keep records
Keep a record of what has been happening. Include:
- the time, date and place where any incident took place and a short description of what happened (keep a diary)
- photographs or videos of any damage the landlord has caused to the property or your belongings
- short descriptions of any incidents by anyone who witnessed them.
These records will be important if you need to take legal action against your landlord.
Report incidents
Report any incidents to the local council and/or to Rent Smart Wales. Licensed private landlords and letting agents have to comply with a Code of Practice and if they are not doing so Rent Smart Wales can investigate and get in touch with them on your behalf.
If you have been illegally evicted and need to get back into the property, or get your belongings back you should also report the matter the police. If you have difficulty getting the police to help you, contact an adviser. They might be able to speak to the police on your behalf.
The council’s homelessness department may help you with emergency accommodation if you’re illegally evicted or forced to leave your home because of harassment.
Get together with other tenants
If you live in shared accommodation your landlord might also be harassing other tenants. If this is the case, you could all join together and approach the landlord as a group.
Some types of shared accommodation are known as Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and councils have extra powers to take action against landlords of HMOs. This might apply to you if you live in a bedsit, a house or flat shared by several households, a hostel or a bed and breakfast hotel.
We are sorry that we cannot provide this information in Welsh, however if you would like to speak to an adviser in Welsh please contact 08000 495 495.