Illegal occupant?! HELP!

[sarahwithanh06]

I need help! I recieved a letter at my door the other evening and was caught off gaurd. The letter stated that the property management had been notified that I have an 'illegal occupant' in my apartment and would 'monitor' me to see if this persists. My partner has been staying with me for a while but is not on my lease. When I signed my lease months ago, I did not forsee him staying with me at all. Also, a side note, I am the sole responsible occupant for my aparment but I do have a cosigner for financial reasons. So, the burning question I have is...can I be evicted for this? Also, in the state of Ohio, can I have my partner added simply as an occupant and not as a financially responsible lessor? I would have no problem adding my partner as an occupant but he has a felonious criminal history (robbery, no sexual offenses). Can he be denied occupancy for a non sexual felony? WHAT CAN I DO?! Im just scared, really! I never meant to do anything wrong! ANY advice would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

[mightymoose]

Read your lease contract. It likely addresses this situation.
Typically, yes, you can be evicted since you are likely violating the lease agreement.
No, you can not simply add your partner as a tenant- the landlord would have to agree to this first.
What you can do is come clean with the landlord and try to work out an agreement for the extra occupant, or you can start looking for somewhere new to live where it is not an issue.

If your landlord agrees to the extra person you can expect your rent to go up. This is typically to account for the added utilities and services that the extra person puts on the bills paid by the landlord.

 

[Gail_in_Georgia]

Your lease should specify who is actually included on the lease. Having additional folks stay with you can result in an eviction as you are violating the terms of the lease.

If you had to undergo a criminal check prior to be accepted by the rental property, it is likely your boyfriend will have to undergo the same screening. Whether management will accept him as tenant depends on their policy of accepting tenants with criminal histories (and a history of a felony is not good news).

Gail