Virginia K. Smith

Dear Sam: I've lived for 19 years in my private house without a lease—13 years with my first landlord, and six years with the new one. The new landlord is always hassling me about noise, sitting with his door open and staring, and he recently raised my rent from $1,200 to $1,300. He even tried to evict me, but on the advice of a city agency, I told him he'd have to actually take me to court to kick me out. Since then, he's tried to raise my rent to $1,500, though it's only been a verbal notification, no formal lease. What are my rights in this situation?

First, the caveat: This isn't a small Small Wonder pick. But it's too interesting to pass up.