Landlord Question and Answer Forum

Is it illegal for a landlord to evict a tenant for non disclosure of criminal background and for giving a different name when applying for the apartment?

I am not a lawyer so here is my best guest. Your lease is not between you and the person who is living in your property unless they officially changed their name. If he/she is already under lease, then your lease probably states that "a temporary visitor is someone who stays 10 days or less". Thus your tenant's guest (him) is in violation of the lease. What did the parole officer say about the use of the false name? In the future, have your tenants provide you with a "State Police" background check. It will cost them ~ $25 - $50.

Posted by Charlyn P, LA on Friday, July 27, 2012

Wow- that's horrible! I'm fairly new to being a landlord, and I don;t know anything about the laws and regulations in your area. However, after reading your post I wanted to ask if you are doing any pre-screening/ verification on your tenants? I wasn't screening my tenants until a few months ago, after an awful tenant and a costly eviction. Since then I have started screening tenants. There are a lot of services out there that landlords can use & offer a variety of services, so it's worth looking into. I, personally, use E-Renter (www.e-renter.com). It validates the tenant's SSN, screens for for criminal & sex offender records, as well as evictions & other stuff. In my short experience, I have found that it is certainly worth it to screen tenants. Not only can it save a lot of hassle, but it can save you money in the long term. I hope that helps & good luck!

Posted by Marybeth O, OR on Friday, August 10, 2012