Rental Agency REQUIRING disclosure of gun ownership

[Gunner3456]

In thirty years of dealing with rental properties, animals have done more damage than everything else combined.

Yep, every once in a while someone would sneak in an indoor dog against the agreement. I've had to throw out all carpet and pad, mop the floors with some urine eliminator (enzyme) powder I got at the Grange Co-op, paint the floors with Kilz primer, and replace all of the carpet and pad. When I first went in, the ammonia burned my eyes.

 

[mjbskwim]

My first question would be why guns? Why not knives? Or certain prescription medications. How about alcohol consumption? Why not how many times you have been married (or divorced) ? I just don't understand why guns would be at the forefront of their inquiry.

I'm guessing it has to do with their insurance company.Little things can make rates better and if you have many properties the savings can be substantial.
Not that I agree with them asking or the OP's wife telling them.

And like Hamilton Felix said,there could be many people that have access to this info.There may be someone at the agency that has less than scrupulous ideals,with friends that are worse.

I would have to recall the form or not rent.I don't like discussing my firearms with people I don't know

 

[billt]

I would have simply lied. My wife would have eagerly done the same thing. In fact I would have enjoyed doing it. It's none of their damn business. Yeah, it's "their house", but it's also "my guns". It's my policy that I don't advertise the fact I own them.

 

[deen_ad]

He CAN'T inspect your property. It's your home.

Actually they can, it's part of the landlord/tenant laws. They do have to give you advance notice unless it's an emergency.

 

[Buddhalux]

I probably just would of put N/A on their form and moved on. It truely isn't any of their business on what a tenant owns with pets being an exception due to the fact that they are living creatures with a mind of their own.

 

[Gunner3456]

Actually they can, it's part of the landlord/tenant laws. They do have to give you advance notice unless it's an emergency.

"Your landlord and the repair people must enter your unit at reasonable times. You should discuss these times with your landlord. Your landlord cannot use the right of entry to harass you or to retaliate against you. Your landlord also can't use the right of entry to inspect your belongings."

Oregon State Bar Association Publication

 

[Gunner3456]

I probably just would of put N/A on their form and moved on. It truely isn't any of their business on what a tenant owns with pets being an exception due to the fact that they are living creatures with a mind of their own.

Just keep your guns out of sight in Oregon. As I quoted above, the landlord can't inspect your belongings. He can inspect only his building, and then only with reasonable notice unless there's an emergency. An emergency would be if he saw water gushing out the front door from a broken pipe.

Even then he can't inspect your belongings - your property.

 

[Grunwald]

Has anyone else come across this?
Our rental agency has a section of their rental agreement that asks a specific question regarding dangerous weapons (including firearms of any type). I told my wife that it was none of their damn business and thought the matter was closed. My helpful wife went ahead, while I was not there and volunteered my gun information (thankfully not complete).

I am furious, both for the company asking and my wife blithely giving up a information regarding my guns.

If she would have lied (which she won't), we could have been evicted if they found guns (unlikely).

Now this company has a record (in addition to everything else) that I am a) a gun owner and b) a rough idea of what type of guns are stored in my house.

You should give your wife a lecture on disclosing to strangers that you have items that criminals desire and thus increasing a chance that you will get broken into.

Some years ago I chewed the heck out of my girlfriend for telling the Shuttle Express driver our trip plans. In no uncertain terms I told her it was extremely dumb to tell some stranger (who knows where we live) that we are going to be out of town for a week.