The law doesn't hand out treble damages like candy. Please explain the legal basis under which landlords are going to magically receive these for civil breach of contract claims.
The comment above me literally cited the relevant piece of the code under which treble damages could be pursued. If leasing an apartment is as reprehensible as so many people here seem to think, then landlords should have no trouble convincing a judge that the person doing so entered into a contract in bad faith.
First, I'm not responsible for your assumptions. If you're taking legal advice from strangers on an Internet forum, then as your absolutely-not-a-lawyer I advise you not to do that.
Second, I didn't bring up treble damages, the comment I was replying to did. I was simply drawing a logical conclusion based on the information they provided.