RPA Tenant Rights Blog » General Topics, Videos Post » Guests not Allowed in the Apartment

Guests not Allowed in the Apartment

By Tenant

Have you ever heard of a landlord not allowing guests in the apartment? Well I have because it personally happened to me. So here’s my story:

I rented a room in my landlord’s home. We had a lease agreement for a year but after that, we were on month-to-month. I understand that the old lease agreement will still hold except that I will incur no termination fees if I move out. For the first year, everything went smoothly but after that, conflicts began to arise.



I used to have friends come over. We don’t party out loud, we just watch a movie or play video games in my room. Other times, we just hang out. My most frequent visitor would be my girlfriend because she comes over everyday but never spends the night there. My landlord never talked to me about it nor presented it as an issue so imagine my surprise when my landlord’s wife began pounding on my door one afternoon. She was yelling at my girlfriend and telling her to leave. According to her, the girlfriend is staying in the apartment too often that she’s practically living there already.

I know that a person is considered living in a place if she:

  • Stays there about 85% of the time
  • Sleeps, eats and takes a bath there
  • Receives mail in the address
  • Pays rent and the utilities

Well, my girlfriend does nothing of that. Sure, she comes to visit everyday but she only stays for like three hours, tops. I think that my landlord is just being unfair to me. I asked my lawyer-friend for advice and here is what I was told.

  1. Talk to the landlord about it. Yes, as much as I would just want to yell at my landlord due to frustration, I was told to keep my cool. A landlord will only become more difficult if I let my emotion get the better of me.
  2. Check the lease agreement. I was not really locked in a lease agreement but since it’s still in effect, except for the termination fees, then I should still look into it. So I did and guess what, there are no clause or whatever about not having guests in the apartment.
  3. Check the state tenant laws. If there is nothing on the lease agreement or if it’s there but it’s not very clear, you can check your state tenant laws. What I found out is, guests are allowed as long as they do not stay in your apartment; otherwise, they become unauthorized tenants.

Clearly, I don’t see any violation with my girlfriend visiting. When I knew that I was in the right, I filed a complaint against my landlord. I did so through the RPA complaint center, which I accessed through this link: http://www.rentalprotectionagency.com/complaint_center.php.

Stand up against discrimination. Know your rights.

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Edited on: Saturday, February 23rd, 2013 1:03 am
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15 Responses to “Guests not Allowed in the Apartment”

My response: (We welcome stories, examples, explanations, answers and a touch of your personality)
 

Risa

February 23rd, 2013 1:20 am

I think you need a new place to live. Your landlords are not being reasonable when they ask your girlfriend to get out even if she is just visiting.

Kerry

February 23rd, 2013 11:20 am

Maybe you have a hot girlfriend and your landlord’s wife thinks she is a threat to the LL’s loyalty? Hahaha Anyway, you should move out and find a new place to live.

Wilmer

February 23rd, 2013 9:00 pm

Discrimination does not only happen when you’re still new. Sometimes, landlords won’t care how long you’ve been a tenant or if you’ve been a very good tenant because they could still discriminate. Having this stupid policy on guests is just that – stupid.

Margurite

February 24th, 2013 6:40 am

I’m sure you will not find any legal lease agreement and state tenant laws that prohibits guests in the apartment. No one will ever think about that, unless your guest is already overstaying or is causing a lot of noise that could disturb the other tenants.

Yvette

February 24th, 2013 4:20 pm

What did you do to irk your landlords to the point that they want to just throw your girlfriend out the door?

Lessie

February 25th, 2013 2:20 am

Having someone over and having them sleep over are two separate situations. Are you sure your girlfriend has not been sleeping over? It’s pretty hard to believe that she hasn’t been sleeping there with the amount of time that she’s been spending there.

Samual

February 25th, 2013 12:00 pm

Word of advice: if she’s been coming to your apartment everyday then why don’t you just move in together? Find another place to stay. Your rental property is already becoming very crowded for you, your girlfriend and your landlords.

Antonio

February 25th, 2013 10:00 pm

As a landlord, I understand how important it is for you to socialize. So if that means you inviting friends, that’s fine. I just won’t tolerate it if your guests are already living and sleeping there. That’s obviously a violation of your lease agreement and you could get evicted because of it.

Milton

February 26th, 2013 8:00 am

Even if she’s only staying there for a few hours if she has been making a lot of noise or other illegal activities that could affect your LLs and other tenants, then she can be banned from the place.


Morris

February 26th, 2013 6:20 pm

I had a slightly different experience. I had my girlfriend come over and sleep for a few nights per week. My landlord knew about it and I was served with eviction papers. I know an eviction will not look good so I just left instead of fighting it off and letting the court decide. So if I were you, I’d send my 30 days notice and start looking for a place to stay.

Hank

February 27th, 2013 4:20 am

If you had to move out, do it legally. Get a notice in writing, clean your room and make sure to document everything. You want to make sure that you get your security deposit back.

Sydney

February 27th, 2013 2:40 pm

Your relationship with your landlord has already gone sour. There is no use trying to stay and make ammends. Just leave.


Chiquita

February 28th, 2013 1:00 am

Ask your girlfriend if she has done anything to anger your landlords. If they’ve been cool during your first year then something must have ignited their anger. Also, based on what you’ve written, it appears as if the landlords are only angry at your girlfriend and not you. Why?

Desire

February 28th, 2013 10:40 am

If your landlord will initiate that you move out, remember that they are required to give you a 30-day notice. Otherwise, they’re doing it wrong.


Son

February 28th, 2013 8:40 pm

File a complaint with the RPA. That’s the best thing that you can do in situations like these. I would recommend getting a lawyer too, if you can afford one.


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