The SOLAR Project - Sex Offender Legal Advocacy & Reform

← Back to Resources

Tenant Rights Survival Guide

For people on the registry and their families. Plain-language help + legal deep dives. Step-by-step strategies to keep you housed.

What is a lease, really?

✨ Survival Advice (ELI5)

Think of a lease like a two-way promise written on paper. You promise to pay rent on time and follow the rules. Your landlord promises to give you a safe, livable home.

Most people don’t realize: a lease is negotiable before you sign. It’s like ordering at a restaurant — you can ask for “no onions.” You might not get everything you ask for, but you have the right to ask. Once you sign, it’s locked in.

🚩 Red flag: Any line that says the landlord can kick you out “immediately” or “without court.” Almost always illegal.

✅ Green flag: Clear repair promises or fair guest rules (e.g., “Guests may stay up to 14 nights with notice”).

If you don’t understand something, circle it, ask in writing, and keep their reply in your binder.

📘 Why this matters (Deep Dive)

  • A lease is a contract—if you break it, a landlord can ask a court to evict you. If the landlord breaks it, you may have rights under habitability laws.
  • HUD = U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. They fund housing programs and enforce fair housing laws.
  • FHA = Fair Housing Act. This bans housing discrimination, though registry status is not protected.
  • PHA = Public Housing Authority. Your local office that runs HUD programs like Section 8 and public housing.

HUD: Tenant Rights

Build your “Tenant Binder”

✨ Survival Advice (ELI5)

Imagine you’re walking into court. The landlord says, “They never paid rent.” You say, “Yes I did.” Who wins? The one with the papers.

Your binder is your armor. Start today:

  • Lease, rules, and any addenda.
  • Photos/videos of apartment (time-stamped).
  • Every text, email, letter, or notice.
  • A call log (date, time, who, what was said).
  • Rent receipts or bank statements.
  • A “proof packet” with references, letters, certificates.

📘 Why this matters (Deep Dive)

Court and housing officers rely on documents, not memories. In public housing hearings, PHAs must give notice and allow you to respond—but without proof, you’ll lose. A binder creates a timeline that makes your story real.

Never move out unless a judge says so

✨ Survival Advice (ELI5)

Picture this: your landlord changes the locks or shuts off the heat and says, “You’re out.” It feels terrifying. But the truth is: only a judge can evict you.

If it happens:

  1. Stay calm. Don’t pack up.
  2. Call non-emergency police: “I am a tenant at [address]. My landlord locked me out without a court order. This is illegal.”
  3. Take photos/videos of the lock or notice.
  4. Write down the police report number.
  5. Call legal aid that day.

🚩 Red flag: Landlord says “I don’t need court.”

📘 Why this matters (Deep Dive)

  • “Self-help evictions” are illegal in almost every state.
  • Landlords must file in court and win before removing you.
  • HUD housing requires notice and hearing rights before eviction.

NYC: Illegal Lockouts Help ·Nolo: Lockouts

Background checks & denials

✨ Survival Advice (ELI5)

Landlords often run background checks. If yours comes back bad:

  1. Ask for the adverse action notice (official denial letter).
  2. Demand your free copy of the report.
  3. Check for mistakes: wrong name, old arrests, sealed/expunged cases.
  4. Dispute errors in writing.
  5. Ask for an individual review.

🚩 Red flag: “We don’t rent to felons” or “registry = automatic no.”

✅ Green flag: Landlord listens and considers your proof.

📘 Why this matters (Deep Dive)

  • FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act): requires notice and free copy if denied based on a report. CFPB Guide
  • HUD 2016 Guidance: Blanket bans like “no felons” may violate the FHA. HUD Guidance PDF
  • Public housing: Arrests alone can’t be used. HUD PIH 2015-19

Registry-specific survival tips

✨ Survival Advice (ELI5)

Residency rules are like invisible tripwires. You might qualify for an apartment and still get in trouble later for being too close to a school, park, or daycare.

Before you sign anything, do a compliance check:

  • Search: “[Your city] sex offender residency ordinance/map”.
  • Call the registry unit (police/sheriff): “Is [address] compliant? How is distance measured here (property line or door-to-door)?”
  • If on supervision, ask your PO for a written map or letter showing allowed areas.
  • Save GIS screenshots and keep them in your binder.

🚩 Red flag: “We don’t check that.” — You will be the one held responsible.

✅ Green flag: You have written confirmation from police/PO that the address is compliant.

📘 Why this matters (Deep Dive)

Public housing & vouchers

✨ Survival Advice (ELI5)

Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) run programs like vouchers (Section 8) and public housing apartments.

  • If applying: If anyone in your household is on lifetime registration, the PHA must deny admission. Ask intake staff up front so you don’t lose months waiting.
  • If already housed: PHAs generally cannot terminate you solely for being on the registry. They still can act on real lease violations (nonpayment, serious misconduct).
  • Arrests alone can’t be used to deny/evict in assisted housing.
  • Ask for the PHA’s Administrative Plan (HCV) or ACOP (Public Housing) and note appeal deadlines.

📘 Why this matters (Deep Dive)

  • Federal rules: 24 CFR § 982.553 (vouchers) and 24 CFR § 960.204 (public housing) — lifetime-registration bar at admission.
  • HUD FAQ: current tenants generally not terminated solely for lifetime registration if already assisted — see HUD FAQ.
  • Arrests alone are insufficient in assisted housing — HUD PIH 2015-19.

Fighting denials

✨ Survival Advice (ELI5)

If a landlord says, “We don’t rent to people with records,” here’s your playbook:

  1. Send your proof packet (income, on-time rent history, references, certificates).
  2. Ask for an individualized review — time since offense, nature, age at offense, rehabilitation, rental history, references, current stability.
  3. If they refuse or ghost you, escalate:

📘 Why this matters (Deep Dive)

Reasonable accommodations (for disabilities)

✨ Survival Advice (ELI5)

If you or a family member has a disability (including many mental-health conditions), you can ask the landlord or PHA to adjust a rule so you can use your home like anyone else.

Common examples:

  • Extra time to comply with a rule due to treatment schedules.
  • Permission for a service/assistance animal even in “no-pets” housing.
  • A unit transfer away from restricted zones or stressors.

📘 Why this matters (Deep Dive)

Your “Go-Bag”

✨ Survival Advice (ELI5)

Think of this as your emergency kit. If things heat up, you grab it and go. Keep paper + digital copies of:

  • Denial notices from landlords or PHAs.
  • Tenant screening report + your dispute letters.
  • Rent receipts, bank statements, or ledger showing payment history.
  • References, certificates, and letters of support.
  • Residency-rule maps or letters confirming compliance.
  • Your lease, house rules, and accommodation requests.

👉 Having this ready makes appeals, hearings, or emergencies far less overwhelming.

Find local help today

✨ Survival Advice (ELI5)

Don’t freeze — start searching. Use these phrases (swap in your city/state):

  • “tenant rights handbook PDF [state]”
  • “fair housing complaint [city]”
  • “legal aid landlord tenant hotline [state]”
  • “continuum of care housing reentry [city]”
  • “sex offender residency ordinance map [state]”

📞 Direct help:

Daily reminders

✨ Survival Advice (ELI5)

  • 🗓️ Mark deadlines (rent due dates, appeal windows, court hearings) on a calendar.
  • ✍️ Put everything in writing — recap phone calls with a text or email.
  • 📂 Show up to hearings with your binder in hand.
  • 🤝 Don’t isolate — ask a friend to proofread letters or go with you.
  • 📞 Call 211 if you’re stuck and don’t know where to turn.

Handy scripts you can copy

🚪 Illegal lockout (to police):

I’m a lawful tenant at [address]. My landlord [changed locks/shut off utilities] without a court order. This is an illegal lockout. Please help me get back in. My lease and ID are here.

📄 Adverse action (to landlord):

Please send me the adverse action notice and free copy of my screening report. I request an individualized review of my application, considering my rent history, stability, and references.

🐕 Accommodation request:

I’m requesting a reasonable accommodation under fair-housing laws: [your request]. This will help me fully use and enjoy my home.

📍 Residency compliance (to registry office):

I’m considering renting [address]. Is this location compliant with residency rules? How is distance measured here (property line or door-to-door)? Could you send me a map or letter?

Final Pep Talk

Housing with a record or registry status feels like an uphill climb. But you are not powerless. Your binder, your scripts, your deadlines, and your proofare tools. Use them.

Call 211, reach out to legal aid, and remember: only a judge can legally take your housing away.

Step by step, you can stay housed. You and your family deserve stability, safety, and dignity.