Can I break a rental lease if I have a sex offender living next door to me?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Can I break a rental lease if I have a sex offender living next door to me?
I have 2 girls and moved out of my old place a month early because a sex offender lives next door. My oldest daughter overheard a conversation about him and began to have panic attacks at night because she was afraid he would come into the house at night. I had to move to provide a safe home for my children. When I told my landlord she said she had no idea he was a sex offender or that he was living there. I’m the only rentals with children and would think it would understandable for me to leave. She refuses to let me out of my lease a month early and has asked me to pay my rent for next month.
Asked on March 31, 2012 under Real Estate Law, Maryland
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
No, while your concern is understandable and commendable, the fact that a sex offender lives next door does not give you the right to break your lease. You can only break the lease if the landlord did something wrong--didn't honor lease terms, didn't rent you all the space she was supposed to, didn't provide habitable housing, etc. The landlord has done nothing wrong in this case--she is not the sex offender and is not threatening your family. The law does not allow you to "penalize" the landlord by breaking the lease when the landlord has honored her obligations under the lease.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.