Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Pennsylvania
Landlord abridging rights of tenants
Question regarding landlord-tenant rights
I am a tenant in a house with four others. A driveway leads to a garage in the backyard that is not attatched to the house but is on the property we are leasing.
The landlord stores his personal items in garage, claims that we do not have the right to the garage because it is not included in the lease. He has locked the garage and will not provide a key. He claims it is a privilege, not a right, to use the garage. He also has restricted us from parking cars in garage.
If we are leasing the property, and the garage is on the property, we are also leasing the garage, right? Can a landlord restrict access to a leased property? And can he store his things in it?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Landlord abridging rights of tenants
Hello! Thank you for your question.
Unless your lease specifically states that the garage portion of the property is a part of the lease agreement, then the landlord can opt not to allow access to that portion of the property. Keep in mind that it is the landlord that owns the property, not you.
An analogous situation would be a building with several apartment units inside. Obviously you can only rent one of the units, and would not have access to other apartments, even though they would all be a part of the same building. Similarly, the landlord can restrict your access to the garage on your property.
Hope this helps!
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