No Guests- University Circle (Cleveland: apartment, renters, attorney) - Ohio (OH) - City-Data Forum

kaw97 · 09-30-2012, 08:36 PM

I'm a student at Case Western Reserve University, and I'm renting a room in a house on campus. The house is owned by a management company, which leases the overall building to a religious organization, which then rents out rooms to students in the area to help offset the cost so they can use the building for occasional meetings. My lease states that no guests may be on the second floor of the building at any time, and the bedrooms are on the second floor. I have a friend who needs a place to sleep overnight coming up, and while I realize I can have him sleep on a couch on the first floor and still be within the terms of my lease, I am still curious as to the legality of this clause of my lease.

For some other background, I know the terms of the lease used to state, "no female guests on the second floor" until they had a gay tenant, and after his lease expired it was changed to no guests upstairs at all, so I am quite confident the rule is due to a rather puritanical view on sex. Is this legal? Additionally, about a month ago, I had some friends driving through town who needed a place to stay, I offered my place, they stayed overnight and stayed on the first floor of the building. The individual I'm renting from stopped by, and was kind of pissed and told me he didn't have a problem with it, but had to know in advance. There is nothing in the lease about informing him of guests in advance, only that they may not be on the second floor of the building. Am I obligated to tell him when I am having someone overnight on the first floor?

Too Long; Didn't Read:

I rent a room in a house from a church that rents the house from someone else. Lease says "no upstairs guests" to prevent sex. Is this legal?

Landlord says I need to tell him in advance when a friend is sleeping over on the first floor couch. This is not in the lease. What are my legal obligations?

jodipper · 09-30-2012, 09:18 PM

If the other renters are following the rules why do you think you don't have to? You agreed to the terms when you leased the room. If I was one of the renters I would tell you to point your friends in the direction of a motel.

kaw97 · 09-30-2012, 09:32 PM

The upstairs guests issue is something that is a mere question of my curiosity, because I'm involved with someone who is currently overseas, which is why I don't particularly care about that. It's mostly a question of curiosity.

My bigger issue is with the individual I am renting from spontaneously coming up with new rules, such as my need to inform him of things. When I had friends a month ago, I ran it by the other renters who were fine with it. Only the guy I'm renting from took issue. He is not my parent; he is not my pastor. We are engaged in a business relationship, and nothing more. I will pay him on time for rent, I will treat the house well, I will do what is necessary to make living with the other individuals as amicable for us as possible, and I will abide by all legal aspects of a contract that I have agreed to. It is not acceptable, however, for additional rules to be put in place after signing the lease at his whim. I've a year-long lease, after which I plan on moving out for various reasons.

andrew61 · 10-01-2012, 08:52 PM

Disclaimer: I'm not an attorney, just going "off the cuff" here, but I'd venture that rooming houses are probably allowed to have more stringent rules than if you actually rented an apartment of your own from someone.

Your best bet would be to call the Cleveland Tenants Organization hotline and ask someone. They're staffed with people who are well versed in all the landlord-tenant laws and they can give you a better answer than I can. Here's their contact info:

Cleveland Tenants Organization -- Contact Us

jlawrence01 · 10-01-2012, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaw97

I'm a student at Case Western Reserve University, and I'm renting a room in a house on campus. The house is owned by a management company, which leases the overall building to a religious organization, which then rents out rooms to students in the area to help offset the cost so they can use the building for occasional meetings. My lease states that no guests may be on the second floor of the building at any time, and the bedrooms are on the second floor. I have a friend who needs a place to sleep overnight coming up, and while I realize I can have him sleep on a couch on the first floor and still be within the terms of my lease, I am still curious as to the legality of this clause of my lease.

Why don't you do what students have been doing for years? Let all your friends know that you need to put up a friend for a night or two and see if they have a space available. I have never had problems finding a place for another student to sleep.

As for the lease, you signed it and agreed to the terms of the lease. Wjy not live up to it?

kaw97 · 10-02-2012, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

Why don't you do what students have been doing for years? Let all your friends know that you need to put up a friend for a night or two and see if they have a space available. I have never had problems finding a place for another student to sleep.

As for the lease, you signed it and agreed to the terms of the lease. Wjy not live up to it?

As for the first issue, he's a bit of a pain in the ass, and the lease doesn't say anything about visitors on the first floor. He expects things that (as far as I know) are covered neither in the lease nor by the law, so it's a matter of principle. I see no reason to pay a jerk any favors, especially since it's a situation I have no intention of staying in once my lease is up.

As for the second part, I did sign it and I have lived up to it. I just read elsewhere here on these forums that those kinds of clauses are illegal in NY, so I was curious as to whether that is the case or not in Ohio. I have always taken an issue with individuals trying to impose their own ideas of morality on others. While it doesn't inconvenience me, because I'm involved with someone who is currently out of the country, I find the idea of a religious organization trying to impose its views on us, especially when they don't even own the property, repulsive at best. Again, it's a matter of principle as opposed to inconvenience.