Is renting an apartment for business use discriminatory?
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Is renting an apartment for business use discriminatory?
I am a contract auditor who works from home. For several reasons, I decided renting a 1-bedroom apartment in the complex where I also live would be optimal to separate business from my home. After initially agreeing (nothing in writing as previous tenant was still in the unit), the manager later told me that I could not rent it for business-only due to it being discriminatory to those who would use it as a place to live. Is this accurate?
Asked on June 29, 2011 under Real Estate Law, Michigan
Answers:
M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
Maybe the manager chose the wrong words when explaining it to you. Generally speaking, if the zoning for the apartment is residential renting an apartment for use as a business may be against the zoning ordinances and may be against some other local statutes. It also may violate the lease agreements for the other apartments in that the other tenants had an expectation that there would not be those other than their residential neighbors going in and out of the complex. If yo want to press the issue I would ask the manager to explain exactly what he meant by the statement. Maybe he is referring to a law that is specific to your area. Good luck.
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