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Only done drug charge? Maybe.. everyone makes stupid decisions and deserves a second chance, with careful supervision
Only once, it would depend on the drug, on what the charge was (simple possession of weed for instance...not anywhere near as bad in my eyes as possession to sell, or selling crack or meth etc). Also would depend on how long they'd been out of jail and if their probation was successfully completed etc.
Good luck. I wouldn't rent to someone with three drug charges either, sorry.
The next thing could be that you have to strip your whole house due to having a meth lab in your house.....and than later other people would say...."you knew he did some drugs in the past, how much more red flags do you need"...well i don't need anymore red flags and would right away say "no"....but I have the luxury of having so many applications because of the great location....
The next thing could be that you have to strip your whole house due to having a meth lab in your house.....and than later other people would say...."you knew he did some drugs in the past, how much more red flags do you need"...well i don't need anymore red flags and would right away say "no"....but I have the luxury of having so many applications because of the great location....
Yep, that's a huge hazard of meth labs. The whole house gets so contaminated (that's assuming the meth-heads don't blow it up or burn it down) that often they must be condemned as unlivable space.
would you rent to someone with a petty offense violation conviction (like disorderly conduct) which was a plea down from a misdemeanor charge, received conditional discharge, paid a small fine($50) no law involvement in 13 years, first and only offense?
would you rent to someone with a petty offense violation conviction (like disorderly conduct) which was a plea down from a misdemeanor charge, received conditional discharge, paid a small fine($50) no law involvement in 13 years, first and only offense?
Not if I had a good potential renter that didn't have a record.
I am a felon myself and what i did is not the worlds problem i have done my time and i am trying to change for the better i have my daughter now and i have had the same job now for three yrs sense i got out and right now i am having a hard time finding an appartment even though i have great rental history i have a steady job and i have not been in trouble sense or before that insident fior that matter to hold saome thing against some one when they are trying to make a better life for them selves is wrong and i will tell taht to anyone who asks i am a single parent and doing my best to provide for my child but its hard to do tghat when people do not give u a chance to see that u have changed and are trying to be a better person ..... And i will have to tell u this i do not have a ny felon friends or surround myself with them i just dont choose to but that does not mean that i wouldnet give one a chance before i turned them down i would have to listen to what someone is saying beforwe passing judgement and that is what a lot of us ask for so pleasae do the same thanks ....
Butterfly,
I am glad to see you have turned your life around. Having a little one changes one's view of Self in the world.
As one who rents a house or two, Let me offer this nakedly-honest perspective of landlords. It may help you understand those on the other side of the fence.
1) We seek good long term tenants who will take care of our homes, who will be good neighbors and citizens, and who might add value to the home (from gardens to painting to minor fix-it jobs).
2) We have to filter out those who claim to be upstanding (which is nearly everyone) from those who actually are (which is a high %, but still not perfect). If the prospective renter does not do this, we have to and do so according to conventional filters of property managers (which almost always will exclude ex-felons).
3) We need renters who are reliable. Pay on time. Simple as that.
4) We seek out renters who do not present a risk to ourselves, our property mgr, or to the house should an eviction be necessary.
5) We seek out calm (boring?) and rational renters with whom rental disputes or gray contract language can be resolved peacefully and rationally.
6) We ourselves wish to be good neighbors and do not wish to put neighbors at risk, to sully the image of the neighborhood, or perturb the normal on-goings of the neighborhood by whom we rent to.
7) We seek renters who understand that the contracts we both sign requires both sides to honor the terms.
If you can convince the landlord on these seven points, most that I know of will rent to you. In fact, many landlords do not try to squeeze every last dollar and often rent below market to try and find character of those above.
However, as soon as one of the seven conditions cannot be met, the slope gets slippery. This is especially the case for #3-#7. And I tell you this, once burned, landlords will not give anyone the benefit of the doubt. I would want to know what your crime was as it might materially affect the seven points above. "Having done your time" is only a legal definition. I have my house, family and neighbors to consider.
An unfortunate and permanent consequence of your previous actions is that it is you who must convince the landlord (and public?) of your qualifications on each of the seven above. You have the burden of proof, not the landlord.
Many of us want to believe in rehabilitation and operate according to a default of forgiveness. But I would advise any landlord to hold fast to the seven rules above.
But I'll leave you with a positive thought. Those ex-cons who can meet the seven standards above should be proud of their newly-found pathway and hopefully can overcome the cards being stacked against them.
I know this post seems uncaring, but I think it fairly and honestly represents my view and the view of other landlords I know. Very politically incorrect, I know.
Best, S.
P.S. Less scrupulous landlords will solve your problem by charging you higher rent. The higher rent then represents a risk premium of sorts. This option may be easier to deal with than meeting the seven points above.
I am a felon myself and what i did is not the worlds problem i have done my time and i am trying to change for the better i have my daughter now and i have had the same job now for three yrs sense i got out and right now i am having a hard time finding an appartment even though i have great rental history i have a steady job and i have not been in trouble sense or before that insident fior that matter to hold saome thing against some one when they are trying to make a better life for them selves is wrong and i will tell taht to anyone who asks i am a single parent and doing my best to provide for my child but its hard to do tghat when people do not give u a chance to see that u have changed and are trying to be a better person ..... And i will have to tell u this i do not have a ny felon friends or surround myself with them i just dont choose to but that does not mean that i wouldnet give one a chance before i turned them down i would have to listen to what someone is saying beforwe passing judgement and that is what a lot of us ask for so pleasae do the same thanks ....
What kind of felony were you convicted off?
It might sound strange but my last tenant wrote similar emails just like you....he ended up not paying last months rent and vanishing...
It all started so nice till we ended up in the last month of him renting and after he gave notice of moving and having 2 NSF and many late payments with all kinds of b.s why he couldn't pay on time.
I'm not saying you would do that but he had hardly any credit score and he and his wife and 3 kids needed a place to live and had all beautiful things to say how they were looking to buy a place in the near future, etc...
They ended up getting a judgment against them which will not make their chances higher for the future.
I also "had' a friend who is very well educated and was a realtor and it all seem to be so nice, until I found out she was a 3 x convicted felon on probation while being a realtor....in her mind she probable was a very good person since many times she was talking about how others were criminals and using other people...she had me for a while until the stories didn't add up and since she is aware that I know she has shown her real character and lost all "friends" in the neighborhood.
I learned a lot from this and will never take a felons word over a word from a non felon. Sorry but unfortunately experience has learned me to do this.
Will I rent my property to a felon...'NO!"...will I rent to some one convicted of a misdemeanor "maybe!'...it depends what it was and if nobody with better papers will show up to rent my property.
I teach my kids and tell other kids that everything you do has consequences in life and you have to deal with your actions and you alone are responsible...not others who choose non criminals over criminals.
Do we have to give criminals a second chance...I believe we have to do so, depending on what their crime was and if they really showed to behave for a long time.
I rented a room in my old house to a guy with a criminal record. He was a hard worker and always paid on time, but boy was he an a-hole. EVERYTHING had to be his way (mind you, I rented to him to be a roommate), he brought over some of the sketchiest people I've ever met, he sold drugs out of my garage (I only found out recently, while cleaning out the garage when someone pulled up, asked for him and when I said he had moved out, asked me if I had any weed or acid since he was gone) thought he was 'above the law' and was just generally a bad person. After he moved out, he skipped out on the last months rent and utilities. So no, I wouldn't rent to a person with a criminal record unless they had a damn good explanation... and even then the answer is probably still no.
I'm glad neither of u will rent to "FELONS" that only shows your true colors weather you're white or black!!! I am not a black AMERICAN............ I am only a BLACK MAN and proud to be because of people like you alienating other HUMAN BEINGS for making mistakes................7x7777777 :^)
Butterfly,
I am glad to see you have turned your life around. Having a little one changes one's view of Self in the world.
As one who rents a house or two, Let me offer this nakedly-honest perspective of landlords. It may help you understand those on the other side of the fence.
1) We seek good long term tenants who will take care of our homes, who will be good neighbors and citizens, and who might add value to the home (from gardens to painting to minor fix-it jobs).
2) We have to filter out those who claim to be upstanding (which is nearly everyone) from those who actually are (which is a high %, but still not perfect). If the prospective renter does not do this, we have to and do so according to conventional filters of property managers (which almost always will exclude ex-felons).
3) We need renters who are reliable. Pay on time. Simple as that.
4) We seek out renters who do not present a risk to ourselves, our property mgr, or to the house should an eviction be necessary.
5) We seek out calm (boring?) and rational renters with whom rental disputes or gray contract language can be resolved peacefully and rationally.
6) We ourselves wish to be good neighbors and do not wish to put neighbors at risk, to sully the image of the neighborhood, or perturb the normal on-goings of the neighborhood by whom we rent to.
7) We seek renters who understand that the contracts we both sign requires both sides to honor the terms.
If you can convince the landlord on these seven points, most that I know of will rent to you. In fact, many landlords do not try to squeeze every last dollar and often rent below market to try and find character of those above.
However, as soon as one of the seven conditions cannot be met, the slope gets slippery. This is especially the case for #3-#7. And I tell you this, once burned, landlords will not give anyone the benefit of the doubt. I would want to know what your crime was as it might materially affect the seven points above. "Having done your time" is only a legal definition. I have my house, family and neighbors to consider.
An unfortunate and permanent consequence of your previous actions is that it is you who must convince the landlord (and public?) of your qualifications on each of the seven above. You have the burden of proof, not the landlord.
Many of us want to believe in rehabilitation and operate according to a default of forgiveness. But I would advise any landlord to hold fast to the seven rules above.
But I'll leave you with a positive thought. Those ex-cons who can meet the seven standards above should be proud of their newly-found pathway and hopefully can overcome the cards being stacked against them.
I know this post seems uncaring, but I think it fairly and honestly represents my view and the view of other landlords I know. Very politically incorrect, I know.
Best, S.
P.S. Less scrupulous landlords will solve your problem by charging you higher rent. The higher rent then represents a risk premium of sorts. This option may be easier to deal with than meeting the seven points above.
Thank You for your advice !!
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Curious
