can you break a lease if a pedafile lives within one mile of your place?

Question

I over heard this and need info if it is true. Or who would I talk to about it?

Answer 1

Only if you lease allowed that as a reason to break it. If you live in the city you are going to have look real hard to fine a place without a ped-O-phile within a mile.

Answer 2

What you heard is patently false. In various states, landlords are required to inform you BEFORE you sign a lease if they are aware of a convicted sex offender living within a certain distance, or to provide you with a source where you can check this information yourself.

However, once you have signed a lease, there is no legal 'out' of the lease if a sex offender moves into the area.

Answer 3

Unfortunately I don't believe that this is a legal reason to break a lease. I would just not allow your children to play outside unsupervised and not let them walk in the neighborhood alone. You could talk to your local police and see if they know the nature of this person's crime. Sometimes people are classified as pedophiles because they were 19 and had sex with a 17 year old which is illegal, but not necessarily a threat to your children.

Answer 4

If the fact was simply a pedafile lived within one mile, then probably not. If there was something more specific, such as that pedafile had molested your children, then there might be a possibility.

Speak to a lawyer who is knowledgeable about real estate law and renter's rights to be sure.

Answer 5

No, unfortunately that's not a valid reason for breaking a lease. Fact is, unless you live WAY out in the woods somewhere, you live within a mile of dozens of pedophiles.

Answer 6

Sounds like urban legend to me. Your neighbors are completely out of the landlord's control, except within an apartment community of course. I don't think you can break a lease even if he moved next door, although I would think a judge would be pretty lenient if it got that far.

Answer 7

Andrea
NO---this is not true.

I know from experience, because I got onto the Megans Law website and to my surprise there is a child molestor living 2 doors down from me!
I called the property management group - they will not do anything...they claim he has rights too. Guess they are money hungry
I called the on site manages (who have very small children) and they do not care either.

I then contacted my County Supervisor - unfortunately..nothing anyone can do ...and if we force thier hands - he can sue me (or us) for harrassment!

so i was pretty much told by everyone...he has more rights than we do and if we see it as a problem...then WE need to Move.

I was apalled...and i know you are also.

BTW - I live in La Mesa California (part of San Diego)

good luck :) and stay informed

Answer 8

check out your state's sex offender registry (usually through the state police website, they'll usually link off of there), anywhere a sex offender lives, it will be on that map.
You can't break a lease just for that reason. If the sex offender lives too close to a school or daycare, he or she will be forced to move, though.

Answer 9

only if your local jurisdiction required landlords to notify you and yours failed to do so. this assumes also that they knew in order to inform you. so the chances are, you don't have much of a chance on this one.

Some jurisdictions require landlords to begin efforts to re-lease upon notice from a tenant of intent to move out, and to apply rents received in the original lease term to any amount owed by original tenant, less the advertising and administrative costs for re-leasing. Check to see if you have a tenants' union in your area. they are a good source of information on tenant's rights and responsibilities.

Answer 10

Regret to tell you ,
But there are thousands of pedophiles . . .
And if the 1 mile rule existed , they could void every lease ever made .

Landlords control is limited to their property ,
So your chances of winning after being sued for breach of contract are veryyyyyy minimal .

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