Can A Landlord Enter Your House When You Are Not Home?

Landlords in most cases have no right to enter a tenant’s residence without permission because they will be violating the rights of the occupants. Every tenant has the right to privacy so they can prevent anyone from entering the place including the landlord unless certain pre-conditions apply.

There a few instances when a landlord can enter your house when you are not around to give permission. If for any reason a landlord should enter the residences of a tenant, he should give a 24 hours written notice so that the tenants would have been fully aware of the situation.

Reasons for entry

If there is for any reason a landlord should enter a tenants house without their permission, he should leave a note in the apartment to make them know that entrance was made. They can even call back or even come around when the tenant is around to inform them of the entrance.

But there are certain cases when a landlord can enter the houses of tenants if they are not around in the case of a fire outbreak, flooding or in rare cases if there has been no sign of habitation in the residence for a period of time and the tenants are no where to be found.

Landlords can also enter the house if necessary repairs are to be done in the house or if inspection is to be done, but prior notice is to be issued to tenants.

Sometimes landlords also enter the houses of tenants to show the place to potential buyers, however, without prior permission, this violates the rights of the tenants because this should only be done when the tenant’s have vacated the residence.

Denying entry

In cases were there is reason to believe a crime is taking place or to aid a police investigation, a landlord can enter the residences of a tenant without prior notice.

Entrance when absent

A landlord can enter the house of a tenant if by any chance the tenant travels or is not within the locality of the house and certain emergencies occur. If for instances heavy rains occur and the house gets flooded, the landlord can go in to help salvage the situation. Also in cases where repairs or maintenance is to be done when a tenant is away. The landlord can enter then later inform the tenant about it.

The Last Word

Basically, landlords need to issue prior notice before they can enter a property occupied by a tenant. Failure to do so can lead to trespass proceedings against the landlord. However, there certain situations where it is permissible such as emergency situations, when reasonable attempt to contact the tenants has been made and they cannot be reached, and instances where a crime is taking place or to aid a police investigation.