Just found out that I have a sex offender living in my building. I have a child and was never told when looking at the apartment that he was here. Does Wisconsin have laws that makes management/owners disclose that to possible tenants? Can I break lease?
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Anonymous
ANSWERS: 3
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I would see if there is a tenants association in your state and contact them. I don't think you can break your lease, and your landlord may not be aware of your neighbors criminal background. Most areas do have sexual predator lists that the neighbor may be registered on.
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The landlord has a duty to inform you of any material defects in the apartment and the terms of the lease (kind of; you should read the fine print of before signing just in case as giving you a written copy IS disclosure) but I believe that most jurisdictions make the prospective tenant research the neighborhood themselves. It isn't their duty to tell you that you are moving in next to a crack house. The list of offenders is READILY available if you make even the slightest effort to look. If you have kids then either you are concerned enough to look or you are too lazy to really care. If you are a parent, you should be beyond the need to be babysat yourself.
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Most (96%) of all sex crimes are comitted by someone close to the victim, not a stranger or a neighbor. A rational person would be more concerned about who they bring into thier child's life than who lives in the neighborhood. Remember - scare tactics get headlines, but are usually b.s. The reason cases like Polly Klaas and Jessica Lumsford make national news is that they are extremely rare - thank God. Now that you have the net, try seeking the truth of the matter before uprooting yourself and your family. I did and it was quite an eye-opener.
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