is your landlord breaking the law? your master tenant violating your rights? are you being harrassed?

If you're like me and you live in San Francisco, then you're most likely also a renter. In a city where Craigslist is commonly used to find roommates, housing, furniture-- and just about everything else-- it's not completely unsurprising my best friend and I moved into a house with a bit of a crazy person (who also just happened to be our master tenant).

After months of our rights being violated and numerous dramatic confrontations with her, my friend and I decided to do something about it: we could take her to SF Rent Board.

In fact, SF Rent Board is only one of several Tenant's Right's groups that offer advice, counseling, arbitration and legal access to renters in San Francisco. There is also the San Francisco Tenants Union, and both can help you if you are dealing with any of the following:

• Landlord harrassment
• Unjust Eviction
• Decrease in Housing Services
• If Your Landlord Neglects to Make Neccessary Repairs
• Being Overcharged Your Portion of the Rent
• Unfair Rent Increases
• Getting Your Security Deposit Back

If you need any information at all about how to make sure YOUR rights are protected, visit SF Rent Board at http://www.sfgov.org/site/rentboard_index.asp. There you will find advice, laws, legal information, and all neccessary forms and contact information you need to file a housing petition against a landlord or master tenant.

You can also visit SF Tenants Union at http://www.sftu.org/ for the best in the Bay Area when it comes to housing legal expertise. Pay a measly $40 a year fee and you're entitled to all the counseling your little heart desires-- but don't worry if you're strapped for cash, because SFTU has free counseling hours.

You should never feel uncomfortable in your own home. Keep yourself protected-- know your rights!