apartment complex "bending" lease agreements

[dc87]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Texas

I live in a 4 bedroom townhouse with each room having seperate leases. 3 of the rooms are filled and we are getting a fourth roommate this week. We were never actually notified by the apartment complex that we were receiving the roommate even though they are required to give us 24 hours notice. We were told by the painter when he came to check the room for damages. We had to contact the apartment manager.. who declined speaking with us. We were allowed to come pick up the new persons "information" sheet.. which states that he is a 35 year old grad student. the other ages of the current people who live in our house are 20, 21 and 23. None of us feel comfortable living with a person of this age. Upon trying to talk to the apartment complex manager again, she once again stated she was too busy to talk to us. We had to deal with a student worker who had to leave and ask her manager the answers to every question we had. They have told us we are not allowed to tell the new roommate we do not wish to live with him simply because of his age and they cannot move him because it would be discrimination.
I understand that noone can be discriminated against.. and that if the is indeed a student then he has every right to live in a student community apartment. HOWEVER, do we as occupants not have any rights either? If we do not feel comfortable living with someone, why should we be forced to? is there anything we can do about this?

 

[Zigner]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Texas

I live in a 4 bedroom townhouse with each room having seperate leases. 3 of the rooms are filled and we are getting a fourth roommate this week. We were never actually notified by the apartment complex that we were receiving the roommate even though they are required to give us 24 hours notice. We were told by the painter when he came to check the room for damages. We had to contact the apartment manager.. who declined speaking with us. We were allowed to come pick up the new persons "information" sheet.. which states that he is a 35 year old grad student. the other ages of the current people who live in our house are 20, 21 and 23. None of us feel comfortable living with a person of this age. Upon trying to talk to the apartment complex manager again, she once again stated she was too busy to talk to us. We had to deal with a student worker who had to leave and ask her manager the answers to every question we had. They have told us we are not allowed to tell the new roommate we do not wish to live with him simply because of his age and they cannot move him because it would be discrimination.
I understand that noone can be discriminated against.. and that if the is indeed a student then he has every right to live in a student community apartment. HOWEVER, do we as occupants not have any rights either? If we do not feel comfortable living with someone, why should we be forced to? is there anything we can do about this?

Yeah man, that's gonna really be a buzz-kill having such an OLD FART in your party pad.

 

[Mrs. D]

Been there. Sometimes these apartment complexes will work with you to find a roommate you can get along with, sometimes they won't. Unless the person they move into your unit violates the lease or puts the other tenants in danger in some way, there's really nothing you can do about the situation. But give the guy a chance, would ya? He could turn out to be a great roommate. Maybe he'll even buy beer for your underage roomie. If he's terrible, just make his life hell until he decides to move out on his own (don't do anything illegal, and don't say I said this, but loud sex, hogging the TV, and eating all his food should get him out, pronto).

Everything except for gender is protected under anti-discrimination laws. I'm assuming you're all the same gender, so that won't help you.

 

[tranquility]

Eh..what'd you say sonny? Yew jus want to do your hoppity-bopity, dope taking, immorality to be the rule at yer pad. Get over it whippersnapper. There gonna be *new* rules here. Legal-like rules. And if you don't like it you're gonna have to kiss my sagging, wrinkly, overlarge...

Realistically, what if you weren't "comfortable" with blacks, muslims or Democrats? What do you think then? I thought they wasted all this time in school teaching tolerance rather than math. Didn't it take with you?

 

[Alaska landlord]

HOWEVER, do we as occupants not have any rights either? If we do not feel comfortable living with someone, why should we be forced to? is there anything we can do about this?

You have every right afforded to you on your lease and what is provided by state law.

Unfortunately, you have no right to discriminate based on age related biases and preconceived notions about this other occupant.

If you don't like the terms of your lease, then give notice at the appropriate moment.

 

[ecmst12]

It's only illegal to discriminate based on age if that age is over 40. HOWEVER, being that you are just a tenant, no you do not get any say in who the other tenants in your building are unless your lease SPECIFICALLY grants you that right.

 

[dc87]

ugh

i understand the fact that we cant discriminate against him.... and yes they teach tolerance in secondary education..

i was asking for advice, i didnt ask you to try to teach me a lesson in humanity. All i am saying is that when you sign a lease in a complex that is exclusive to college students, you are not expecting to have somone on the verge of senior citizenship placed in your empty room. I just dont think it is fair. There are 3 occupants already in the unit.. none of them want him here, he is going to be uncomfortable.. we are going to be uncomfortable.. i dont see why they just cant put him somewhere else.
if i wanted to live with a geriatric i would have stayed home with mom and dad.

 

[ecmst12]

My god, you are SO not going to get any help from this forum with that attitude!

 

[tranquility]

Apparently, they wasted their time when they taught you about tolerance. They spent more time indoctorinating you to specific things they wanted regarding specific interest groups and less time teaching you to understand. It is as I suspected.

The only help I can give you is to earn enough money to buy your own place. Then you have a greater chance to choose who will live there. At least within the rules laid down by society as to unacceptable and illegal discrimination. But then, by the time you can afford the house, you may very well be....OLD and try to keep yougsters such as yourself from living in your property because you always destroy it.

 

[BL]

i understand the fact that we cant discriminate against him.... and yes they teach tolerance in secondary education..

i was asking for advice, i didnt ask you to try to teach me a lesson in humanity. All i am saying is that when you sign a lease in a complex that is exclusive to college students, you are not expecting to have somone on the verge of senior citizenship placed in your empty room. I just dont think it is fair. There are 3 occupants already in the unit.. none of them want him here, he is going to be uncomfortable.. we are going to be uncomfortable.. i dont see why they just cant put him somewhere else.
if i wanted to live with a geriatric I would have stayed home with mom and dad.

he is a 35 year old grad student

Holly ( what ever robin says to ) batman .

I wonder what the name is for me at my age .

 

[ecmst12]

If the 35-year-old is WILLING to live in university housing with a bunch of college kids, he is probably more like you then you would expect....

 

[ErinGoBragh]

If the 35-year-old is WILLING to live in university housing with a bunch of college kids, he is probably more like you then you would expect....

I'm saying OP is a troll... I know 35 year olds who are waay more fun than I am, and I'm 23.

Who actually thinks that 35 is old these days? Jeez.

 

[Hot Topic]

I'm going to be 59 in September, and may I say that I haven't always enjoyed working with a bunch of people in their 20's for the past 8 years.

My sympathies to the adult moving with you.

 

[Alaska landlord]

I'm thinking OP must be a male and is afraid of a little competition.
at 35 I still had those young girls trying to chase me down.

 

[Mrs. D]

Dude, I'm 27 w/ a Master's degree and my DH is 34 w/ a Bachelor's. We have way more fun than you could ever imagine. Of course, we can afford to go out and have a good time. My upstairs neighbors (23, 22, and 21) think we are loads of fun. We bring the grill, delicious gourmet hot dogs and burgers, and actually good wine to parties. So he's a poor grad student, that doesn't mean he isn't fun. I had fun in grad school. Give the guy a chance, would ya! Seriously. If he's a troll, employ the suggestions I had above (I was a student in that type of housing not that long ago). But he might be fine! BTW...depending on where you live, discrimination also applies to those under 40. When I was looking to sublet my room in MA due to a job change, I was advised not to discriminate against undergrads as they were a "protected class." This may not be true, but it seemed good enough advice.