HUD Landlord Complaint: How to File a HUD Complaint Against Landlord

Hundreds of landlords have been debarred from the ability to do business with the federal government or fined because they failed to provide decent and safe housing for the poor while making themselves wealthier on taxpayer-funded subsidies. In the meantime, tenants are being forced to live in horrible housing, and neighborhoods are suffering from disfigured housing.

It's important to know your tenant's responsibilities and how to protect yourself. If you have a , rest assured there are things you can do and DoNotPay is here to help.

What Are HUD Violations?

Having to live in substandard conditions can be stressful and dangerous, particularly if your landlord doesn't respond to your complaints. Some landlords might even engage in discriminatory or illegal practices. You can try to call your landlord and resolve the complaint before escalating your concerns. If they don't meet their obligations to you, it's time to become educated on your rights and gather evidence to support your HUD complaint against the landlord. Then, report the landlord's behavior to your local housing authorities.

How to File a HUD Landlord Complaint by Yourself

To file a HUD complaint against landlord, you can follow these steps:

1. Create a List of the Issues Making your Unit Uninhabitable

List the problems in your apartment that make it dangerous or unsafe for you to live in. The housing authority of each state has a list of conditions you can view that shows what makes a unit formally qualify as "unlivable."

Locate your state's housing authority website and its regulations on the HUD website.

Standard conditions that may qualify a unit as unlivable are:

Shaky stairs	Doors that don't properly lock
Exposed wires	A rodent infestation

2. Call the Property Manager or your Landlord to Discuss the Problems

Inform them of how long the problems have been going on and the way in which they affect your quality of life in the apartment. Ask them politely to repair the issues.

3. Email or Write a Letter to your Landlord Outlining the Poor Conditions

Emphasize your concerns in writing if a phone conversation doesn't get your landlord to take action on the issues.

4. Give your Landlord 30 Days to Take Action

This 30-day period is the legally appropriate time frame to wait to allow your landlord time to make the repairs. Even if you don't think they'll take action, you must wait this time to give them ample opportunity to fix the issue.

5. Use a Deduct-and-Repair Solution for Uninhabitable Conditions

Refer to the Department of Consumer Affairs website of your jurisdiction for a list of conditions that qualify your unit as legally uninhabitable. If you already reported these issues to the landlord and they haven't fixed them within the 30-day period, they have violated the insinuated warranty of habitability.

6. Make a Note of Any Violated Conditions or Rights

Make a list of any conditions of your tenancy the landlord violated or rights they have infringed upon while you were living in the apartment.

7. Gather up Evidence to Support the Implied Violations

Take photos or gather all the correspondence you have had with your landlord about the issues to document all the uninhabitable conditions. You may want to get a home inspection of the apartment which can also help you catalog any unsafe or dangerous problems from a professional perspective.

8. Refer to the HUD Website to Find Reporting Methods in your State

To find resources for tenants of bad landlords for your state, and you can navigate to the HUD website.

9. Contact your Local Housing Agency to Put in a HUD Landlord Complaint

Reach out to your local reporting avenue or local housing authority for your jurisdiction outlined on the HUD website.

10. Check to See if the Landlord Receives Federal Funds

Check your rental agreement for a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or HUD logo. If there's one on the website, it means your rental is qualified to report with HUD's bad landlord complaint department.

11. Call and Report your Landlord through HUD's Complaint Hotline

If applicable, dial 1-800-685-8470 to contact HUD's bad landlord complaint department.

Next Steps to File a HUD Complaint Against Your Landlord if You Can’t Do It Yourself

As a last resort, you can call a local real estate lawyer through your state's bar association. Then, set a meeting up with them to go over your case. Be sure to bring along any evidence supporting the violation of your rights, as well as a copy of your lease.

If you're a low-income renter, you may qualify for free aid through a nonprofit organization. The congressionally-founded services Corporation is one example. To find subsidized legal resources for renters in your area, go to their website and enter your address.

As you can see, there are a lot of steps you have to take to file a complaint when your rights are being violated. It's bad enough you have to live in dangerous and unsafe conditions, never mind having to take up a lot of your time filing complaints against your landlord in the hopes they will get their act together. DoNotPay is here to take all the tedious work away from you so your problem can be solved while you get on with other important things in your life.

Let DoNotPay Help you With your HUD Landlord Complaint

DoNotPay is here to guide you through it and file your disputes on your behalf. Our Landlord Protection product can help you:

Get back your security deposits
Learn about your state's eviction laws and what protections apply in your case
Resolve disputes regarding repairs with your landlord
Resolve disputes with roommates by filing demand letters or going through small claims court break your lease early.

All you need to do is:

Search for and open the Landlord Protection product on DoNotPay.
Select which issue applies to you.
Answer a simple set of questions so our chatbot can collect the necessary information to create your demand letter.
Choose whether you want DoNotPay to send the demand letter to your landlord or roommate on your behalf. If you already tried sending a demand letter and it didn't work, we can help you start the small claims court process.

And that's it! You should hear back from your landlord directly once your demands are sent.

Why Use DoNotPay to Solve your HUD Complaint

Having to file a HUD landlord complaint by yourself can be tedious and potentially unsuccessful if you don't know how to gather all the important proof. By using DoNotPay's services, you can feel confident you'll get the job done:

1. Fast: There's no need to spend hours trying to solve this problem

2. Easy: There's no need to struggle with filling out all the necessary documentation to prove your landlord is in violation.

3. Successful: You can rest assured knowing we'll make the absolute best case for you.

What Else Can DoNotPay do?

Solving your HUD complaint against your landlord isn't the only thing DoNotPay can help you with. They provide a wide range of other services, including: