R eviction notice texts valid? Landlord harasses,bullies me,abuse of entry. No lease. What can I do to make him stop?

Question

I tested positive for COVID in July after moving in. I recovered but my landlord started texting me eviction notices and that the "moratorium is bogus,"  so I have no rights because there's no lease agreement, except the initial inquiry of renting the room and agreeing to a price month to month. He harasses & bullies me constantly, mostly thru text but also in front of other tenants, messaging them & saying degrading things about me, accuses me of things I didn't do to justify each time he texts me a notice. He taunts me outside my door (which I had to repair after he refused my request to replace the lock 3 times), turns off the internet specifically "so I can't use it" knowing my job depends on Wi-Fi 24/7. He entered my room when I wasn't home and took pictures, moves/breaks my things, I tried not reacting, I tried asking for a sit-down conversation as to why he's so adamant about me moving out, but nothing works. His threats worry me, can he really kick me out? I saved all texts too

Gregory L Abbott · Answer

First, you should fully document the landlord's actions - dates, times, witnesses, what was said, etc.  You may well have claims against the landlord for the unlawful entries and/or the WiFi.  Beyond that, no, neither text nor email messages are valid forms of issuing a termination of tenancy notice.  I recommend not mentioning that to the landlord - it only tells him what he has to do to "fix" his mistake so the later that happens, the better.  Beyond that, the court won't evict anyone for failure to pay rent or without proven cause during the pandemic and even issuing the notice may entitle you to damages.  So consider reviewing everything with a local landlord-tenant attorney.  Good luck.

Q: R eviction notice texts valid? Landlord harasses,bullies me,abuse of entry. No lease. What can I do to make him stop?