@dtray I am not saying people will be murdered by landlords. I am saying the law and what actually happens in real life are totally different things. People can say retaliation is illegal, but many things are illegal and happen any way, including murder, tax evasion, shoplifting, etc. Saying it's illegal for your landlord to do something to you doesn't magically create a forcefield around you and protect you from harassment, slander, not being able to use them as a reference, owing them thousands of dollars once the law ends, not being able to rent from someone else moving forward because you can't list that landlord as a reference or even put that address down because you are on bad terms with them.
It's a dangerous game to be on bad terms with a landlord, or even a boss. If you want to rent in the future, you need to have references and list previous addresses.
Yes, you could find some way to get around that, but good luck finding another person renting a room out in their house who isn't going to ask for references and the previous landlord's number to verify that you're a decent tenant.
The law cannot protect you from being blacklisted and unable to rent moving forward. Or that landlord dragging their feet about paying the bills or fixing something that needs repair. Heck, your landlord could blast polka music all night or buy a dog that you're allergic to and let it slobber all over the house just to piss you off. Or they move in a bunch of their large male relatives and passively intimidate you.