If your landlord told you that felons are not allowed in your apartment community but you just found out that two sex offenders live one street over from you can you break your lease?

Answer 1

The landlord may have put the clause in writing...and the "one street over" may be included in his "domain", however, not all sex offenders were convicted of felonies; just as many plead guilty or are found guilty of misdemeanors...therefore, they are not felons, and may be allowed to reside there. In addition, if the housing is subsidzed by state and federal funds such as low-income etc...sex offenders cannot live there. You can't break your lease because the landlord hasn't done anything wrong, though it's unclear whether your landlord also owns the homes where the offenders live. If he does, then the prohibition of felons living in his property has to be in writing. However, the landlord has to have done something - or neglected to do something - that interferes with your ability to live reasonably in your apartment, like refusing to fix the heater or Plumbing. He can't really control who lives in the neighborhood any more than you can. You can do anything you want (so long as it is not criminal). The question is, do you find the discovery objectionable enough that you would be willing to pay damages to the landlord to break the lease? Look at your lease. Does it offer an early termination clause? If it does, you could exercise the clause (follow the terms exactly) and you're home free. Since you are renting, you could ask the landlord to rent a unit to you that is furthest away from the "sex offenders". A little dose of reality, though. I don't care where you move, you'll probably be too close for comfort to a sex offender (or worse) at some point in your life.