Tenant Rights for Visitors
State laws usually give tenants the right to entertain visitors in their home for reasonable periods of time. Tenants are also held responsible for their guest's behavior and any damage they cause.
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State Law
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Laws governing landlord-tenant relations, including a tenant's right to have visitors in their homes, differ from state to state.
Right to Entertain Guests
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Many state laws specifically guarantee tenants (including tenants in public housing) the right to entertain guests of their own choosing in their home. Tenants are usually responsible for any damage to the unit caused by their guests.
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Landlord Restrictions
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State laws often give landlords the right to restrict the amount of time that a guest may remain in a tenant's home, and landlords may include a clause stating a time limit in a lease or rental agreement, although overly onerous rules might not be legally valid.
Guest Damage
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While tenants can have guests in their home, they are usually also responsible for any damage caused by their guests in their home.
Warning
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If a guest of a tenant lives in a dwelling for an extended period of time, that guest may be protected under a state's landlord-tenant laws. If a tenant or the landlord wants the guest to leave, they may need to have the guest legally evicted.
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References
- PA Legal Pad: Resitricting Tenant's Guests
- Universal Hub: Court rules public-housing tenants have the same right as everybody else to invite guests in
- Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection: Tenant's Rights and Responsibilities
- Peoples Law: Tenants, Roomers, Guests and trespassers, Know your Rights and Responsibilities.
- Photo Credit Remember image by Silvia Ottaviano from Fotolia.com
