Landlord Question and Answer Forum

Ok I have a unique situation. I rent rooms on a weekly basis and let a guy move in without deposit and he was waitng for a check to clear. It has now been 4 weeks and he has since moved his wife and adult daughter into a 1 room sleeping room. He was arrested on a felony warrant and sent back to another county and his family went with him. I gave them a verbal warning last week to move out due to some drug issues. So do I have a legal right to change the locks? Never paid any rent and such.

If I were a landlord in that situation I would change the locks, esp after the tenant got arrested.

Posted by karen s, WI on Monday, June 10, 2013

Rooming houses typically fall under their own regulations and often this is at a local level. Often, people do not realize that certain permits and permissions are required to rent rooms out individually in a home that is not designated as so. If this is your home and you live in it, you probably can get away with changing the locks but BE sure that you save any personal items for a period of time in case they come looking for them. But be careful! I would contact an attorney and ask for advice because this is an unusual circumstance - just to be safe and keep you our of hot water.

Posted by Millie S, BC on Friday, June 21, 2013