Tenant Criminal Activity On Rental Property
Getting A Handle On Illegal Activities: What Landlords Must Do To Ensure Their Tenants’ Safety
Landlords are partially responsible to keep their tenants safe from criminal activities that occur on the property especially if crimes of a similar nature have occurred before and are likely to take place once more.Landlords also have a duty to protect the neighborhood from his/her tenants from committing crimes and illegal activities like drug activity, breaking and entering, etc. Rental properties are always being sued by their tenants who have been injured because of a criminal act that took place on the property.
Six Ways To Keep Tenants Safe and Landlords Lawsuit-Free
1 – Ensure that all rental units meet and/or exceed the local and state security laws such as hall lighting, deadbolt locks on all doors, security systems, window locks, lighting in common areas of building, etc.
2 – Work with the town’s police, security and insurance companies to come up with a security system that protects clients.
3 – Let tenants know about possible crime issues that occur in the neighborhood; include what measures they can take and what is afforded to them.
4 – Keep rental property in good shape, fixing broken windows, locks and lights. Have tenants propose safety suggestions.
5 – Handle all tenant complaints regarding suspicious activities, broken security items and dangerous situations right away.
6 – If a security measure demands an increase in rent, let the tenants know and ask them how much money they’d want to pay for the added security.
Protect Your Tenants From Harm From One Another
Unless stipulated otherwise in the lease, the landlord has an obligation to provide the tenants quiet enjoyment of the rental unit. Should a disruption occurs by a third party (another tenant or neighbor), the landlord needs to take action to ensure the incident does not happen again. If the landlord fails to act, the offended occupant can terminate the contract with the landlord possibly reimbursing the tenant for the “unexpected” move.
Landlords Must Act Straightaway To Criminal Activity On Property and Locations Near Property
If criminal activity is occurring on the property, the landlord must deal with it right away:
- Evict the person who is allegedly committing the criminal activity
- Call the police
If a tenant tells the landlord about the criminal activity, the landlord must take reasonable measures to report the activity to the right authorities so his/her tenants is protected. If the landlord fails to take action, the tenant has the right to end the lease.
For more helpful legal information, go to Free Legal Forms site, and you can find useful resources related to landlord liabilities and valuablel real estate forms that are completely free of charges, including Tenant Lead Disclosure that you would want to review before your lease agreement begin on your new rental house.