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If you’re someone who rents, whether it’s an apartment or a house, you’ve probably had questions here and there about your rights as far as privacy. After all, you occupy a residence but it actually belongs to someone else, so there is plenty of room in the middle ground for things to get sticky.
There are times you landlord can legally enter the home without your consent or knowledge, but there are also times they definitely can’t – and if you want to know which is which, you’re definitely going to want to keep reading.
Times your landlord can enter your residence
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Basically, though specifics can vary from place to place, landlords have the right to enter your home without your permission when it involves issues of maintenance or safety.
These include but are not limited to: maintenance of the property, sale or rental of the property, health or safety concerns, or they have a court order.
That said, most states require landlords to at least attempt to give you notice of their entry as well as a reason why, and some even specify a specific amount of warning time whenever possible.
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Some scenarios will require a head’s up in writing, as well, but some don’t require any warning before an unannounced visit at all.
If the landlord claims the reason for their entry is an emergency, though, all bets are off.
Times your landlord can NOT enter your residence
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Most states require that landlords give you some kind of advance notice, and there are also likely stipulations as far as what times of day they’re allowed to pop in.
Your state should outline what they consider “reasonable” hours, which typically align with your average work day/week.
There might be specifics outlined in your lease, too, so make sure you read that thing even though it’s a lot.
No matter what it says or what they tell you, though, they can’t just pop in to bother or intimidate you.
If you have more specific concerns, here is a state-by-state list of laws.
Be careful out there, and know your rights – that’s always the best place to start!
