Q: Does my landlord have the right to tell me what I am allowed to store in my carport?
My landlord is telling me I have to throw things away in my carport. It’s not junky and I store things around the perimeter like bikes, a wood pile for bonfires (he demands this be thrown out), broken down boxes I use for shipping (demands these be thrown out), a grill, and a couple metal storage shelves. He says he wants it to be cleared out with nothing under it and that I have to clean it out. I pay a lot of rent to live here and I cannot understand why he would have the right to dictate that. It’s not junky- it’s organized and no health hazards.
A: The first place to look is the lease language regarding the tenant's responsibilities to maintain the premises (and the carport in particular). Sometimes it is vague and ambiguous, so might turn on the reasonableness of the landlord's request vs. the reasonableness of your conduct. Tenants can be found in breach of their lease for junking up a yard and refusing to clean it up, but based on the facts in your question that doesn't seem to be the case.
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