What does "retaliatory eviction" mean?

Retaliatory eviction refers to the act of evicting a tenant specifically because they have engaged in legally protected activities, such as filing a complaint against the landlord for unsafe living conditions, or exercising their rights under the lease or relevant tenant laws. This type of eviction is considered illegal in many jurisdictions, including Texas, as it seeks to punish the tenant for asserting their rights.

In the context of this question, while evictions for non-payment of rent, causing property damage, or at the end of a lease term may be valid reasons for a landlord to terminate a lease, they do not qualify as retaliatory actions. Retaliatory eviction focuses distinctly on the motives behind the eviction—namely, that the landlord is targeting the tenant for taking lawful actions that are protected by landlord-tenant laws. Therefore, the correct choice captures the essence of retaliatory eviction by highlighting the landlord's reaction to the tenant's legal rights.