Can a landlord discloseincorrect personal information?
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Can a landlord discloseincorrect personal information?
I went to go rent another apartment and they faxed over a letter for the apartments that I live at now to fill out. One of the questions was, “Has tenant ever disrupted other tenants?” The lady in the office where I live now marked yes and took it upon herself to write in, “Yes tenant was involved in police activity, had guns” Of course this was not true so I was furious when I saw this. The truth of what really happened was that I called the police on a neighbor who threatened me with a gun. I was the victim. Did they break the law by writing this?
Asked on January 2, 2012 under Real Estate Law, Arizona
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
A landlord can disclose incorrect personal information about a tenant whuch obviously happened in your situation. Whether or not this was proper, the answer is "no."
However, an explanation by the landlord would be that he or she simply got the facts involving the incident that you called in about wrong. Had you actually been involved in police activity where you brandished or had use of a firearm, most likely the prior landlord would have evicted you.
I would contact your former landlord and ask him or her to clarify the statement that is incorrect that you are writing about for future reference in applications for another tenancy. I do not see your prior landlord breaking the law by writing what was written per se. I see some error in the relay of facts as to what transpired.
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