Q: Can I challenge a declaration of an inability to pay rent for someone who rents a room in my residence and is employed?
He has been employed for most of Covid and received a stack o f unemployment checks for that time. His rent includes all of his bills, so he only pays for his food. He has not paid me any rent since June of 2020. He refuses to move out and refuses to clean. He tries to instgate fight to try to get me to say or do something he can sue me for. He threatens to sue me for everything. Last time it was about taking legal action against me for not taking out the trash when he thought it was my turn. My other tenant moved out, stating that he would have never looked for a new home if my harassing tenant was not living in my home. He moved out because of the other tenant after living with me for 3 years. He moved into another rental room in another home to get away from him. He treats me like crap an harassess me because of Covid laws. He does not believe I can kick him out for being horrible to me.
A: No, part of the Covid moratorium laws re landlord-tenant specify that a tenant's declaration regarding inability to pay rent cannot be challenged in court. But it does sound as if you may have grounds for issuing for cause termination notices - and they are not prohibited during Covid (except for failure to pay rent).
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
