Alleged Landlord Retaliation Following a Health Department Complaint
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Reviewed & verified by A. Jason Velez, Esq.*
Managing Attorney, 1LAW · Last reviewed February 2, 2026
Legal Inquiry
Consumer Legal Issue
Retaliation from landlord lord someone called health department cause I let them in my apartment when they knocked..it has been hell for me.now eviction notice I have signed receipt of payment from Jan 25 to Dec 2025 they are stating haven't paid since November even after sent proff.
Landlord put new windows in my unit and down stairs is where it needed them there silicone shut..The basement was full of mold. They were made to take everything out of it and all the wood had to be removed, but the issue still remains. The laundry room has been leaking the 5 years I've been here, and it was leaking 5 years prior to me being here. The floor is falling in. When the health inspector came back, he stood out in the parking lot, said he seen the windows, and left. But that's not all the main issues there were there's still plenty I feel like he was paid off..
Attorney Answer
The core problem is that the habitability defects you describe — mold remediation that left the floor structurally failing, and a laundry room that has leaked for years, including before you moved in — do not appear to have been fixed, and the inspector's follow-up visit, looking at the windows from the parking lot, does not sound like it addressed the remaining issues. Neither of the two things asked about last time — written documentation from the health department, and verification of the notice-signing lawyer's credentials — has actually been confirmed, so treat both as still open rather than resolved.
In Kentucky jurisdictions that have adopted the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, including Louisville/Jefferson County, KRS 383.705 bars a landlord from retaliating against a tenant — including by pursuing an eviction — for complaining to a government agency like the health department about a health-and-safety violation. KRS 383.595 separately requires the landlord to keep the unit fit and habitable and to keep plumbing, electrical, and other supplied facilities in safe working order. Both support your position.
What you can do:
1. File a new, written complaint with the health department documenting that the inspector did not examine the mold remediation, the laundry room leak, or the failing floor.
2. Gather every rent-payment record you have to bring to the eviction hearing.
3. Raise the notice's mismatched lawyer information and different signer as a defense at the hearing itself.
4. Be ready to lay out the retaliation timeline — the inspection followed by the eviction notice — for the judge.
⏱ Time limits apply. Kentucky forcible detainer hearings move quickly once a notice period runs, so the retaliation and payment-proof defenses need to be ready and raised at that hearing — a local attorney should review your notice and evidence beforehand if at all possible.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can a landlord evict a tenant for reporting problems to a health department?
In many states, landlord-tenant law prohibits retaliatory eviction against a tenant who reports a health or safety violation to a government agency.
What should a tenant do if repairs remain incomplete after an inspection?
Generally, filing a new written complaint documenting exactly what wasn't addressed, along with photos, helps preserve the record for a habitability or retaliation defense.
Can proof of rent payment be used as a defense in an eviction hearing?
Yes — in many states, documented proof that rent was paid can be raised as a defense against a nonpayment-based eviction claim.
