Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Oregon

My sorority is trying to force me and two of my friends to live in the sorority house and I am wondering what our legal rights are to fight this. One of my friends had already signed a lease on her apartment before she even knew she wanted to join the sorority, so she had no way of knowing the sorority's rules about being required to live in for one year, and the sorority is trying to force her to break her lease to live in the sorority house, which would cost her thousands of dollars. This does not see like it could be legal for them to force her to break her lease and then to pay the sorority rent on top of all of that when they make her live in the sorority house.

The sorority is also trying to force me and my friend to live in the sorority house even though we both have legitimate medical conditions, and because of these conditions living in the sorority house would jeopardize our health. The contract that we signed when we joined states that "all members of the sorority must live in the Chapter House unless it is at capacity, as determined by the Housing Corporation Board. Live-out status will be granted by the Executive Board of the Chapter House." This is the only legal document that we signed and that is the only part of the document that mentions this requirement to live in the house. It seems ambiguous at best. I am wondering if there is any legal angle from witch I can argue against the House Corporation Board's decision to make us live in, give that we both have medical reasons. I have a malformation in my brain that requires me to have a safe environment when I have seizure like attacks and my friend has extreme, crippling anxiety that causes her to have constant anxiety attacks. Living in this sorority house would be detrimental to both of our health. The only option for us is to leave the sorority, which means being banished by all the friends that we have made in the house, if we cannot fulfill our requirement to live in the house. It really feels like we are being discriminated against because of our medical conditions given that the Housing Corporation knows full well that the only choice we have is to drop out of the sorority if they deny our request to stay in the sorority and not live in the sorority house, which they have already denied. None of us know what to do and this all feels very dirty to me and not quite legal. Please help!


Asked on 3/02/16, 10:39 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Robert Mauger The Law Office of Robert L. Mauger

My guess is that the sorority likely could force you to join the house as a condition of membership ordinarily--membership is voluntary and "not knowing that she wanted to join a sorority" isn't exactly the sorority's fault. Perhaps if they somehow induced by intentionally misleading her into thinking she wouldn't have to live in the property, she'd have a claim. Otherwise, my guess is that your friend simply has a tough choice to make--pay a lease termination fee and move into the house or forgo the opportunity to join the sorority. Reviewing your agreement with the sorority with your own attorney may reveal other options that aren't apparent.

As for the disability questions, they're a bit trickier, but your housing provider does have to make reasonable accommodations for a medical disability. Without understanding your conditions better, it would be hard to guess what those accommodations would have to be, but it might be possible to convince your sorority that it would be easier to grant you off-house status than make radical accommodations to the house. If you want pursue that route, you should discuss the matter in detail with your own attorney and your primary care physician. Good luck.

Read more
Answered on 3/03/16, 12:41 am


Related Questions & Answers

More Landlord & Tenants questions and answers in Oregon