Minors and Rental Contracts

[miket]

I live in the state of iowa and my minor son signed a rental contract on an apartment without my consent or gaurantee. Is he legally obligated to honor this contract? He did live in the apartment for 6 months and is now being sued in small claims for back rent. He has not lived in the apartment for the past 4 months.

 

[dj1]

minor? how old is your son? does he have a drivers license?

I duuno......If I was a judge I would ask, did the lanlord know how old he was? if so the landlord is out the money..

But if your son gave him a fake ID and/or lied on the rental application, then your son's gotta pay up.

That would be logical.

 

[miket]

he is only 17 and does have a drivers license. Doen't the landloard have some due diligence to perform when renting? I would think that he would have to determine the age of all tennants.

 

[dj1]

miket:
You have to be VERY specfic when stating a problem.

Your son was 17, did he show the landlord any ID?, did he put his age or birthdate/year on the rental application?

Did he have a job? a car? was the landlord a friend? did he see the ad in a newspaper?

They will ask him all these questions to prove that he LIED to the landlord and he should, or YOU since he is a minor be responsible.

You job is to prove the landlord KNEW full well he was 17, and the contract is Illegal.

 

[miket]

according to my son he had moved in with a friend and the landloard had him sign on to a lease that was month to month. the landloard did not ask him his age and he did not ask for any id. my son says he did not fill out any application thus he never gave the landloard his date of birth. it appears as though someone else moved in after my son moved out and he and the old roomate trashed the apartment fome three to four months after my son moved out. the landloard new my son moved out around the third week of november because he called my house looking for him in january. he said my son owed him for rent but did not mention any damages at that time. i also told him then that my son was a minor during this conversation. if my son owes him for rent that is one thing but i don't think my son had anything to do with any of the damages. He is asking for $3,999 for rent, late charges, management fees and damages. their rent was only $375 per month, if he was in the apartment the full nine months the total rent would be $3,375 if they did not pay anything. what do you think?