Tenants stunned by landlord's absurd demands to exclusively use the pool in the summer

Finding a suitable place to rent with a good and understanding landlord can be a huge task, as sometimes their requests can be unreasonable and the contracts may be unfair. A person, u/Vikings-557, faced a similar issue when they and their friends decided to rent a single-family home with a swimming pool. The landlord stated in the contract that tenants were not allowed to use the pool. While this was not a problem for them, their major trouble arose soon enough after signing the lease.

"My friends and I just recently signed a lease for a single-family home. The home has a swimming pool, but it was specified in the lease that we were not authorized to use it," the person began. "We assumed this was because they didn’t wanna deal with maintenance of the pool or for insurance reasons."

However, they revealed, "After we had already signed the lease and paid the security deposit, our landlord informed us that he plans to come with his family on weekends in the summer and use the pool." The person added, "He did not say how often this would be, but it seemed like he would be planning on coming most weekends in the summer." They had decided to push back but wanted to know the legal implications of everything.

"After researching online, I found information on laws about entering the house but couldn’t find much regarding coming onto the property. Any help would be appreciated," the tenant mentioned. "Nowhere in the lease does it say anything about the landlord using the pool. There is only one line in the lease that mentions the pool."

The tenant also shared the clause about entering the apartment as stipulated in the contract.

"We may enter the apartment at reasonable times to make necessary repairs or changes that we have agreed to supply. We may also enter the apartment at reasonable times to show the apartment to possible or actual purchasers, mortgage lenders, tenants, workmen, or contractors. You will not unreasonably deny us the right to enter the apartment. We may also enter the apartment at any time without your consent in case of emergency. Twenty-four-hour notice will be provided for all appointments to enter the apartment," the tenant shared, detailing the contract.

Additionally, it was mentioned that the people leasing the property didn't have the right to use the pool. However, in an update, the person shared, "We took everyone’s advice and spoke to an attorney today who suggested we talk to the landlord and try to get out of the lease since a single-family home implies we would be the only ones using the property. After some back and forth with the landlord and listing agent, he agreed to terminate the lease and fully refund us." People in the comments expressed their thoughts on the incident.

u/mamabear-50 wrote, "If you’re allowed to use the back yard I will start having parties and BBQs when he shows up to use the pool." u/PurpleGimp commented, "I'm not a lawyer but you should be able to look up tenancy laws/rights for your city, and at least where we live there are also tenants rights advocacy organizations you can reach out to for help." u/No-Customer-2266 remarked, "Quiet enjoyment refers to the tenant’s right to peace, privacy and the use of the rented property without interference from the landlord. This concept applies to all areas of the rental property, including the yard."