Landlord entry: what to do, in order
Page last updated: September 3, 2026 · How we source & update
A single unannounced entry and a pattern of them are different problems with different responses, and the thing that separates them is a log. Start the log before you decide anything else — it costs nothing and it is the only way the pattern becomes visible later.
First step, today: find yourself on the map below, then do the "what to do" line for that one stage. Do not skip ahead — each stage creates the record the next one needs.
Where this comes from: this is a process map, not a rule. It contains no deadlines and no dollar figures, because those are set by your state, city, lease and housing type — your state page carries the sourced rule with its citation and review status. This wording has not been attorney-reviewed.
The stages
The diagram above is decorative. Everything it shows is written out below, in the same order — that list is the real content, and it is what screen readers, printers and text browsers get.
- 1 · Start the entry log
Date, time, who entered, whether notice was given, how you learned of it, any witness.
What to do: Do this first. Everything below is stronger with it and weak without it. - 2 · Check what your lease says about entry
Notice period, permitted reasons, how notice is delivered.
What to do: The lease and your state rule work together; your state page carries the state side. - 3 · Was it an emergency?
Fire, flood, gas, a genuine threat to the property or to someone in it.
What to do: In an emergency a landlord can generally enter without notice, and objecting to that will not help. If it was not one, continue. - 4 · Send one calm written objection
State the facts and dates, ask for advance written notice going forward, and say you are not refusing access.
What to do: Tone matters: this letter is most useful later as evidence of when you first objected. - 5 · Did it continue?
Keep logging. Note whether it started after you complained about something.
What to do: Repetition, or timing that follows a complaint, changes the category. - 6 · Escalate by what it has become
A pattern of pressure is harassment. Entry after a protected complaint may be retaliation. Entry tied to who you are may be discrimination.
What to do: Take the log to free legal aid — the log is the case.
Branches and exceptions this map does not decide for you
- Do not change the locks before checking your lease and your state rule; it can put you in breach.
- Cameras or monitoring inside the unit or aimed at private areas are their own issue — photograph the placement and date it.
When this is urgent
Your state fills in the numbers
Every deadline, cap and remedy this map deliberately leaves blank is set where you live. The state page carries the rule we have sourced, its official citation, and whether it has been reviewed.
Change log & methodology
September 3, 2026 — created (RS-WEB-AUTHORITY-ACTIVATION-006). Built as stages rather than advice: each node states where you are and what the next decision is, and stops short of choosing for you where the choice is legally consequential. No statutory number appears anywhere on this page by design. Corrections: tell us.