Full question:
Last week some people entered into my rented apartment and started hitting me. Those people were drunk and wanted to get some money from me. In self-defense, I hit those people back. Now my landlord says that he wants to terminate the rental agreement because I got involved in a fight in the premises of the rental property. Can my landlord terminate the rental agreement?
- Category: Landlord Tenant
- Subcategory: Lease Termination
- Date:
- State: Alabama
Answer:
In Alabama, your landlord may not be able to terminate your rental agreement if you acted in self-defense. According to Alabama law, specifically Code of Ala. § 35-9A-421, a landlord can only terminate a rental agreement for certain serious violations. These include criminal assault, but self-defense is an exception.
Section 13A-3-23 states that a person can use physical force to defend themselves or others from unlawful force. If your actions were within the limits of self-defense, your landlord may not have grounds to terminate your lease.
Therefore, if you were justified in your actions as self-defense, you might have a strong case against the termination of your rental agreement.
This content is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Legal statutes mentioned reflect the law at the time the content was written and may no longer be current. Always verify the latest version of the law before relying on it.