What rights does a minister have concerning church officials entering the church-owned parsonage when the minister isn’t home?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What rights does a minister have concerning church officials entering the church-owned parsonage when the minister isn’t home?
A minister who is being forced out of her preaching position by certain church members needs to know her rights concerning the church board president wanting to enter the church parsonage when she is not there in a non-emergency situation.
Asked on August 26, 2011 Illinois
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
If there is a written lease between the parish and the minister for his or her occupation of the church owned parsonage, you need to read its terms carefully in that its terms control the obligations owed the minster by the parish and vice versa in the absence of conflicting state law concerning entry into the parsonage by people who are not its occupants.
If there is no written lease or document signed by the minister on the subject, in all likelihood your state has a statute allowing a landlord to enter a rental occupied by a tenant upon the giving of reasonable notice to the tenant in a non-emergency situation. In California, reasonable notice is usually at least twenty-four (24) hour notice to the tenant. Notice is typically accomplished by way of a telephone call, letter or e mail to the tenant.
Good luck.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.