Apartment Lease Question

[reyno2ac]

I'm looking into signing a lease for a new apartment next year and in the lease it says that we are not allowed to posses a gun. I'm going to my CPL class this sunday and will ask the lawyer that will be present, but I wanted to know hear your opinion.

Here is the passage directly from the lease:
"Neither you nor your guests will be allowed to engage in the following prohibited activities: (i)loud or obnoxious conduct (ii) disturbing or threatening the rights, comfort, health, safety or convenience of others in or near the Apartment Community (iii) possessing, selling, or manufacturing illegal drugs/controlled substances or illegal drug paraphernalia (iv) engaging in or threatening violence or any criminal activity (v) possessing a weapon (vi) discharging a firearm in the Apartment community (vii) displaying a firearm, BB gun, pellet gun, any other air powered weapon, knife, or other weapon in the Apartment Community in a threatening manner...and some more non gun related ramblings.

Does "possessing a weapon" mean I'm not allowed to have my rifle or handgun in the apartment? What if I have my CPL permit?

I asked the lady going over the lease with me and she said that they normally don't care if we have a hunting rifle or whatever but could not give me a straight answer on what would happen if were to be put in a situation where I had to use deadly force.

 

[Dan Cash]

Run away. Don't sign. NO NO NO NO. Possess means possess and you will be out of a lease. You don't want to live in this dump.

 

[reyno2ac]

Run away. Don't sign. NO NO NO NO. Possess means possess and you will be out of a lease. You don't want to live in this dump.

I understand what you're saying but nowhere on the michigan government website does it say anything about this. I'm wondering if they can actually enforce this rule.

 

[flop-shank]

I understand what you're saying but nowhere on the michigan government website does it say anything about this. I'm wondering if they can actually enforce this rule.

Who cares? They're weenies. Tell those sissy sheep to go piss up a rope. Why deal with buttholes like that? Housing in Michigan is a buyer's market right now. I'm guessing that you have many choices and most are far better than dealing with those fools.

 

[reyno2ac]

Who cares? They're weenies. Tell those sissy sheep to go piss up a rope. Why deal with buttholes like that? Housing in Michigan is a buyer's market right now. I'm guessing that you have many choices and most are far better than dealing with those fools.

Actually, I'm pretty limited on my choices. I'm looking for a short term, 9 month, lease for school. They are the only place that I would look forward to living in.

 

[luis]

I am sad to say that it does not matter what state law says unless state law says that the wording is illegal. The building owner is not blocking anyone based on sex, religion, color, etc. I would think that they included this wording because they have a lot of felons on their property.

 

[PDL]

I understand what you're saying but nowhere on the michigan government website does it say anything about this. I'm wondering if they can actually enforce this rule.

If you sign it, it's enforceable plain and simple. Personnaly if you want to be there, I'd make an effort to get an exemption or exclusion to that clause - in writing. Don't take the 'we don't care about hunting rifles' BS. Get anything like that in writing. But I'd think you'd do better elsewhere. They're trying to keep out the riff raff and drug dealers. But they should be made aware they're keeping out the good guys too.

 

[flop-shank]

Maybe there's a solution outside the box?

Actually, I'm pretty limited on my choices. I'm looking for a short term, 9 month, lease for school. They are the only place that I would look forward to living in.

I'm wondering if you could run an ad on Craig's List, or otherwise look to rent a room in someone's house. Times are tough these days and my hunch is that if you are a reputable person with local contacts, you'd be in better housing and someone else could get the cash flow they desperately need. Just a thought.

 

[SAFireman]

I assume that they don't make that statement in the public forum...they would attract all kinds of home invasion business...just think - A whole colony of victims, unable to defend themselves

When I was in college, I had several leases and there was nothing like that in those, but heck, I'm in Texas....they might have issued a gun to me if I didn't already have one

 

[JWiley]

Even more interesting is that you are responsibile for searching your guests to make sure they aren't carrying. (Could be kinda fun.)

You're not being forced to sign the contract. If you don't like the conditions and can't get those provisions deleted, IN WRITING, don't sign it. Contracts are voluntary agreements between two parties. Everything is negotiable no matter what the office flunky says.

 

[smith17]

Ask the management if they will put an addendum at the end of the lease specifying that you be allowed to possess a legal weapon. I do it quite frequently if a prospective tenant wants a particular privilege. It can be between you and the owner/mgmt.
Ed

 

[PDL]

Wow, that's an interesting point. And certainly a valid approach.
I'd still wonder about one thing. It they're trying to keep 'firearms' out of the buildings, do they have a history of problems with firearms there?
Might be time to go back to the real estate ads.

 

[Kanewpadle]

How are they going to know if you have any guns to begin with?

 

[safearm]

Unfortunately, they probably won't know that you have a weapon until you are forced to use it. Then their lawyers will be all over you with multiple civil violations; "endangering other occupants, ..." If you have a choice, and sometimes you don't, look somewhere else that either doesn't address firearms ownership, or specifically allows it. If you sign the lease and knowingly violate its provisions, you are taking a very unhealthy risk.

 

[Pasifikawv]

Ask the management if they will put an addendum at the end of the lease specifying that you be allowed to possess a legal weapon. I do it quite frequently if a prospective tenant wants a particular privilege. It can be between you and the owner/mgmt.
Ed

Very smart recommendation. Addemdum to the contractwould be a perfect way to go... You might also run this idea by the lawyer at the course. smith17 is offering a great thought...

 

[reyno2ac]

The lawyer at the course said it would be hard for something like that to hold up in court due to the fact that I'm renting the unit and they ultimately have no say in the matter. He did however suggest that I ask them to write up an addendum stating that I am allowed to be armed.

I guess I'll give the owner a call and see what she has to say.