How can you stop harrassment from a landlord?

If you are complying with the law, the landlord cannot make you move until your lease is up. If the landlord does not want to renew your lease, then you must move out. There is nothing legal that obligates the landlord to renew your lease.
The tenant must make efforts to get repairs made, damaged items replaced, or items cleaned (the labor might be done by either you or your landlord, depending on your agreement) that affect health and/or safety.

If you do not promptly respond to these needs as each condition requires, the landlord can send you a written notice specifying that you have violated your lease contract and asking that you fix the problem within the next 14 days (if it is an emergency the landlord can ask for a shorter period of time).

If after 14 days (unless it is an emergency) you do not remedy the situation, the landlord can enter your apartment and fix the problem in a â€œworkmanlike mannerâ€ and submit an itemized bill for the costs or the value of the repair and add this amount to your rent on the next date periodic rent is due (usually the 1st of every month).

If your lease has already ended, the landlord can ask for immediate payment.

Under the Landlord Tenant Act, the tenant is obligated to tell the landlord of needed repairs and to take care of the apartment. If you neglect maintenance issues, you are violating the law and could be evicted (see Violating The Lease
Usually a landlord will try to resolve a problem with a tenant by talking to him/her first. The following are legal actions that a landlord can take against a tenant who is violating the lease. Most landlords will not take this kind of action unless it is absolutely necessary.

If you do not comply with any one of the conditions stated in the lease (or with the laws in the Landlord Tenant Act, see Tenant Duties), the landlord may deliver a written notice to you specifying the violations that you have made. The notice will also state that the landlord will end the lease and evict you in no less than 14 days.

If you fix the problem within 14 days the landlord cannot evict you. If the same problem happens again within 6 months, the landlord may send another written notice specifying the violation and evict you within 14 days (regardless of whether or not you correct the violation this time).

If you do not fix the problem within 14 days after getting the notice, the landlord may give you an extension. If he/she does not wish to give you an extension, the landlord can get a â€œForcible Detainer Warrantâ€ sent to you on behalf of the constable (this warrant is a notice that you will be Evicted unless you come to the trial date and defend yourself). The warrant will have a trial date stated on it.

If you receive this warrant, you should review it carefully and see a lawyer immediately (for a lawyer, see Legal Help).

GO TO THE TRIAL! This hearing will determine whether or not you will be evicted.

If you are found guilty at the hearing (or you do not show up!), the sheriff or constable will physically remove you from your apartment a few days after the court date.

For more on eviction see Eviction.

If you do not comply with any of the conditions stated in the lease and your landlord is damaged as a result (either financially or in some other way), then the landlord can take you to court in order to get paid back (including attorney fees).

If you do not leave the apartment after the lease has ended, the landlord may take you to court to force you out of the apartment and sue you for more than 3 months rent, or three times the amount of damage sustained by the landlord, whichever is greater (plus attorney fees).

The tenant must pay rent at the time and place agreed upon by the tenant and landlord. The law specifies that unless a different agreement is made between both the landlord and tenant, the rent must be paid at the BEGINNING OF EACH MONTH of tenancy. In the case of a roomer, unless the rental agreement fixes a definite term, the tenancy is week-to-week and the roomer must pay weekly.

The landlord does not have to (and usually does not) send any kind of reminder to the tenant to pay rent. YOU are responsible for remembering to pay!

Most landlords will tell you when you move into an apartment that there is a late fee for late rent or there is some other process that s/he uses when tenants are late with rent. If you are unsure of the consequences that your landlord has set to deal with late rent, then be sure to call him/her and ask. The following possibilities are only things that are legally allowed to happen if you do not pay rent (on time or at all). Most landlords will not take this kind of action unless it is absolutely necessary.

If you do not pay rent on time, the landlord can send a written notice warning that s/he will end the lease and Evict you if you do not pay within 7 days.

If you pay the rent in full within 7 days, the landlord must accept the money and s/he cannot evict you or end your lease.

If you do not pay the rent 7 days after getting the notice, the landlord may give you an extension. If s/he does not wish to give you an extension, the landlord can get a â€œForcible Detainer Warrantâ€ sent to you on behalf of the constable (this warrant is a notice that you will be evicted unless you come to the trial date and defend yourself). The warrant will have a trial date stated on it.

If you receive this warrant, you should review it carefully and see a lawyer immediately (for a lawyer, see Legal Help).

GO TO THE TRIAL! This hearing will determine whether or not you will be evicted.

If you are found guilty at the hearing (or you do not show up!), the sheriff or constable will physically remove you from your apartment a few days after the court date.

For more on eviction see Eviction.

Gone For Awhile / Complete Abandonment

If you are planning to leave your apartment for an extended period of time (e.g. over a holiday) or abandon the apartment completely before your lease has ended, be sure to notify your landlord. If you do not, then there are legal consequences that could result (also see Ending Tenancy):

Many leases ask that a tenant Give Notice to the landlord if s/he is going to be absent from the apartment for more than 7 days. If your lease states this, you do not notify the landlord of your absence, and the landlord is somehow damaged as a result (his property or in some other way), the landlord can make you pay her/him back.

If the tenant is absent from the apartment for more than 7 days, the landlord is legally allowed to ENTER the apartment at reasonable times. (Perhaps s/he wants to make sure everything is still working or the pipes have not exploded). The landlord should have a good purpose for entering your apartment without you there, but if you are suspicious of your landlord then be aware of this legal rule!

If the tenant abandons the apartment, the landlord is allowed to make reasonable efforts to rent it to someone else. If the landlord rents the apartment before the previous tenantâ€™s lease is over, the old lease is terminated automatically on the date of the new tenancy. If the landlord does not wish to re-rent the apartment, or the landlord â€œaccepts the abandonment as a surrender,â€ the lease is considered â€œterminatedâ€ by the landlord as of the date the landlord received notice of the abandonment. IF YOU WANT TO LEAVE YOUR APARTMENT FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, BE SURE TO NOTIFY THE LANDLORD SO S/HE DOES NOT END YOUR LEASE. (You should, of course, continue to pay rent while you are gone or the landlord can terminate your lease.)

If the rental agreement is only month-to-month or week-to-week, then the term of the rental agreement ends monthly or weekly.

If you leave any of your possessions behind when you abandon the apartment, the landlord is allowed to keep them.

Not Allowing the Landlord Access

If a tenant refuses to allow the landlord access to the apartment, and the landlord has given 2 days notice (except in the case of emergencies, see Tenant Rights), the landlord is legally allowed to access the apartment by any means necessary or terminate the lease. In either case, if the landlord receives damages as a result (financially or otherwise), s/he is allowed to take the tenant to court to get paid back (including attorneyâ€™s fees).

Just thought I would share this to show you what specifications he has to meet to evict u