Renters have been winning lawsuits against landlords at a striking pace, with recent judgments and settlements covering uninhabitable conditions, illegal lockouts, discrimination, mold and pest infestations, hidden fees, mishandled security deposits, and illegal rent overcharges. A tenant who wins a lawsuit against a landlord may recover rent refunds, treble or statutory damages, attorney’s fees, and in some cases hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars. The cases below, drawn from 2024 through 2026, show what kinds of claims are succeeding and what tenants are actually recovering.
Uninhabitable Conditions and Multi-Million-Dollar Verdicts
The largest recent habitability verdict came out of Denver. In March 2025, a seven-person jury unanimously found that Glendale Properties I and II, the owner of the 561-unit Mint Urban Infinity complex, and Cardinal Group Management, its former operator, violated Colorado’s warranty of habitability for every resident between September 2018 and June 2022. The jury awarded roughly $13.5 million, structured as a 31.42% rent reduction for each unit over that period plus an additional $200 per unit per month for failure to exercise customary diligence under the lease.1Westword. Denver Jury Rules in Favor of Renters in Bad Landlord Lawsuit
The conditions behind the verdict were severe. Elevators broke down regularly. The building went an entire summer without air conditioning. Tenants dealt with chronic plumbing problems, roof leaks, pest infestations, unsecured doors, overflowing trash, and unsanitary laundry rooms. At one point the property went six months without a functioning front door. Residents were also charged a $2 monthly pest control fee for a service that was never performed.2Multifamily Dive. Apartment Owner Ordered to Pay in Mint Urban Lawsuit The jury assigned 70% of the fault to Glendale and 30% to Cardinal.1Westword. Denver Jury Rules in Favor of Renters in Bad Landlord Lawsuit
In Washington, D.C., the Office of the Attorney General secured a $6.8 million judgment against landlord Adolphe Edwards and his sole proprietorship, A.J. Edwards Realty, over conditions at nine buildings in Wards 4 and 8 holding more than 120 units. The D.C. Superior Court found Edwards liable for over 1,400 housing code violations and more than 7,200 violations of the District’s Lead-Hazard Prevention and Elimination Act, along with Consumer Protection Procedures Act violations for misrepresenting unit conditions to tenants.3DC Office of the Attorney General. Attorney General Schwalb Secures $6.8 Million4Washington Informer. D.C. Judgment Housing Violations
The April 2025 judgment included $1,535,199 in rent refunds for nearly 100 tenants covering rent paid between January 2018 and April 2023, $5 million in civil penalties, and about $300,000 in litigation costs.3DC Office of the Attorney General. Attorney General Schwalb Secures $6.8 Million
Illegal Lockouts and Self-Help Evictions
When a landlord locks a tenant out without going through court, the tenant usually has the stronger case. In Myers v. Broome-Edwards, affirmed by the North Carolina Court of Appeals in 2024, landlord Sandra Broome-Edwards instructed her property manager to lock out a tenant and put his belongings on the curb in December 2020 after failed court-ordered eviction attempts. A judge issued a temporary restraining order two days later directing the landlord to restore access; the tenant was not readmitted until February 2021 and remained homeless through the winter.5FindLaw. Myers v. Broome-Edwards
The trial court found violations of the state’s prohibition on self-help eviction and its Unfair and Deceptive Practices Act. It valued the tenant’s lost property at $9,725, trebled that figure under the UDPA to $29,175, and added attorney’s fees. The appeals court also held that a property manager who participates in an illegal lockout is personally liable; following the owner’s instructions is not a defense.5FindLaw. Myers v. Broome-Edwards6UNC School of Government. Eviction Edition: Landlord Duties, Self-Help Eviction, and Retaliatory Eviction in Recent Case Law
Discrimination and Harassment
A Bronx tenant known as A.T. won a $165,000 settlement in 2025 after suing his landlord for age discrimination, harassment, and an illegal lockout. The landlord had refused to put the lease in the tenant’s name because he was 25, insisting his mother be listed instead, which would have jeopardized her NYCHA public housing status. When the tenant refused, the landlord shut off power and heat during winter, refused repairs, broke in and discarded his belongings, and eventually locked him out.7Legal Services NYC. Bronx Tenant Wins $165,000 Settlement Against Landlord Following Severe Harassment, Discrimination, and Illegal Lockout
The 2021 lawsuit cited the New York City Human Rights Law, along with retaliation, illegal eviction, and tenant harassment claims. After the landlord failed to appear for an inquest, the court initially ordered $287,000 in damages. That judgment was vacated for a settlement of $75,000 up front plus $90,000 in monthly $2,000 installments; if the landlord defaults, the full $287,000 is reinstated.7Legal Services NYC. Bronx Tenant Wins $165,000 Settlement Against Landlord Following Severe Harassment, Discrimination, and Illegal Lockout
Federal enforcement has produced results too. In 2024, HUD reached a $70,000 settlement with Metropolitan Management Corporation and Lancaster Court Associates after a family alleged their lease was terminated following the birth of a second child under an overly rigid occupancy policy. The settlement required payment to the tenants, fair housing training, and adoption of an occupancy policy consistent with the Fair Housing Act.8HUD. HUD Charges Settled for Familial Status Discrimination The Department of Justice has also settled numerous cases against landlords who refused to allow tenants with disabilities to keep assistance animals, with 2025 and 2026 payouts between $9,750 and $20,000 per case across Idaho, Florida, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Puerto Rico.9U.S. Department of Justice. Recent Accomplishments of the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section
Mold, Pests, and Health Injuries
Tenants who get sick from conditions in a rental can recover personal injury damages. In the Michigan case Mahaffy v. Maple Creek Apartments, a jury awarded $925,000 to a tenant who developed asthma from mold caused by repeated flooding and inadequate remediation. The landlord had used a handyman to vacuum carpet and apply paint rather than hiring professional remediators. The judge later reduced the award to a $750,000 present value, and the case ultimately settled for a confidential amount.10Missouri Lawyers Media. Tenant Wins $925K Verdict for Mold-Related Injuries
California has produced some of the largest mold recoveries. Vuckovich v. Starvest settled for $2.2 million after a 3-year-old died and other family members were injured from mold colonization in a San Diego apartment. Other California settlements for mold injuries have ranged from $500,000 to $1.2 million for individual units and small buildings.11La Fave Law Group. Case Results In Oregon, Cohen v. Fox Management yielded over $103,000 in damages plus attorney’s fees for a tenant whose management company refused to address a persistent roof leak that caused mold and respiratory problems.12Chenoweth Law Group. CLG Helps Tenant Win Six-Figure Moldy Rental Trial Verdict
Pest cases produce similar numbers. A California family won $1.6 million from a jury over bed bugs at an Inglewood apartment complex, with $880,000 going to a 3-year-old left with significant scarring from bites. In Los Angeles, sixteen residents of the Park La Brea complex won a $3.5 million bed-bug verdict against property management.13Rental Housing Journal. Apartment Owner Ordered to Pay $1.6 Million in Bed Bug Lawsuit
Junk Fees and Deceptive Pricing
Hidden mandatory fees stacked onto advertised rent are the newest front. In September 2024, the Federal Trade Commission reached a $48 million settlement with Invitation Homes, one of the country’s largest single-family rental companies. The FTC alleged the company advertised rents that left out more than $1,700 per year in mandatory fees for “smart home” technology, utility management, and air filter delivery, and that it improperly withheld security deposits for normal wear and tear. Since 2019, Invitation Homes had collected over $18 million in application fees alone.14Federal Trade Commission. FTC Takes Action Against Invitation Homes for Deceiving Renters, Charging Junk Fees, Withholding Security Deposits
In December 2025, the FTC and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser reached a $24 million settlement with Greystar over similar practices. Greystar allegedly failed to disclose mandatory recurring fees for pest control, valet trash, and utility administration until after prospective tenants had already paid nonrefundable application fees.15Colorado Attorney General. Weiser, FTC Announce $24M Settlement With Greystar In April 2026, the D.C. Attorney General sued Mid-America Apartment Communities over fees at a 269-unit building on Massachusetts Avenue NW, including a $385 application processing fee and a $350 roommate-change fee that exceeded D.C.’s $54 cap.16DC Office of the Attorney General. Attorney General Schwalb Sues Landlord for Charging Illegal Junk Fees
Security Deposit Wins
Security deposit disputes remain one of the most common reasons tenants sue, and many states impose statutory penalties that exceed the deposit itself. Missouri makes a landlord who wrongfully withholds a deposit liable for twice the amount retained.17Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Section 535.300 – Security Deposits Maryland lets tenants recover up to three times the wrongfully withheld amount, plus attorney’s fees.18People’s Law Library. Security Deposits
Class actions can bundle these claims. In Glasbrenner v. THR Property Management, filed in Hillsborough County, Florida, tenants alleged THR and Invitation Homes mishandled deposits under the Florida Residential Landlord Tenant Act and state consumer protection law. The proposed class covers an estimated 34,134 renters who paid deposits between February 2021 and October 2025. The $682,680 settlement offers $20 per valid claim, with an August 2026 claim deadline and a final approval hearing on August 31, 2026.19THR Settlement. Glasbrenner v. THR Property Management Settlement
Rent Overcharge Claims in Stabilized Units
In jurisdictions with rent stabilization, tenants can recover substantial damages when a landlord charges more than the law allows. The leading case is Roberts v. Tishman Speyer Properties, decided by the New York Court of Appeals in 2009, which involved the Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village complexes — 110 buildings and roughly 11,200 apartments. The court ruled that owners receiving J-51 tax benefits could not use luxury decontrol to remove apartments from rent stabilization, even if the building was already stabilized before receiving those benefits.20Justia. Roberts v. Tishman Speyer Properties
The tenants alleged roughly a quarter of the apartments had been improperly deregulated and sought $215 million in overcharges. Final damages were subject to later litigation over class certification and the statute of limitations, but the ruling itself invalidated a 1996 regulatory interpretation and closed off a major path for deregulating stabilized apartments.21NY Courts. Roberts v. Tishman Speyer Properties Under New York’s Rent Stabilization Code, landlords found to have willfully overcharged can be ordered to pay treble damages.22New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. 9 CRR-NY 2526.1 – Rent Stabilization Code
Collective Bargaining as an Alternative
Not every tenant win comes from a courtroom. In March 2026, the Kentucky Tenant Union reached what has been described as the first collectively bargained lease agreement of its kind in the southern United States, covering OSPM, LLC’s Ridgeway Park complex in Brandenburg and Maple Grove Apartments in Flemingsburg.23Louisville Courier Journal. Kentucky Tenant Union Reaches Lease Agreement With Texas Company OSPM
Getting there required litigation. After the union launched in mid-2025, tenants filed a retaliation complaint with HUD. In July 2025 a Jefferson County Circuit Court judge issued a temporary restraining order against retaliatory conduct. When OSPM continued, the judge found the company in contempt, called its defense “disingenuous” and “frankly ridiculous,” and imposed a $10,000 fine, with a second contempt ruling following in November 2025.24In These Times. Kentucky Tenant Union Contract Win Retaliation The final agreement included a 10-day grace period for late rent, a repair schedule, full-time professional maintenance at Maple Grove, automatic lease renewal, and formal recognition of the union.25Forward Kentucky. Kentucky Renters Make History With Bargained Lease A Kentucky law presuming rent increases, service reductions, or eviction threats to be retaliatory within one year of a tenant joining a union gave the framework real force.
What Makes Tenants Win These Cases
Across these outcomes, a few things recur. Documentation drives results. Maintenance logs, photographs, written correspondence, and records of complaints to government agencies build the evidence base for habitability, discrimination, and retaliation claims. In California, a landlord’s failure to serve a technically accurate eviction notice is one of the most common reasons eviction cases fail, an advantage that only shows up when a tenant or attorney reads the paperwork carefully.26CalTenantLaw. Winning Unlawful Detainer Cases
Counterclaims matter too. In D.C., a tenant facing eviction for nonpayment can file counterclaims for rent paid while living in substandard conditions, ask the court to order repairs, or seek reimbursement for expenses caused by uninhabitability. A successful counterclaim turns into a money judgment against the landlord, collectible through wage garnishment, bank account seizure, or a lien on the landlord’s property.27LawHelp.org. Filing Answers and Counterclaims in Landlord and Tenant Court
Finally, many of the largest recoveries described above were not won by individual tenants at all. They were brought by state attorneys general, the FTC, and HUD, which have the resources and legal authority to pursue systemic violations that a single renter could not realistically take on alone. Filing a complaint with those agencies can sometimes do more than filing a lawsuit of your own.