This is a real hotbed that contains many gray areas. First, 'convicted' is the operative word here. 'Suspects' are not put in the database, only those tried, convicted and found guilty in a court of law. And there could be a wide range of scenarios as bud_wi mentions. But the bottom line is the offender is there and you are scared. You can check Megan's law for your state, and other laws on the books as well. Google Megan's law and put your state's name behind it, or google "residency restrictions convicted sex offenders Texas" (substitute your state's name in place of Texas). You might get specific details on laws (or pending laws being battled in court) regarding residency status and rights of offenders in your state. Whether your state requires realtors/landlords to disclose this information or not is gray as well, based on what I've read with regard to Megan's law. However, I have read of situations whereby if something bad happens to a resident who moves near a convicted offender, and a lawsuit occurs, some courts are noting that realtors/landlords had a reasonable responsibility to check and then disclose this information to prospective tenants/home buyers before lease/purchase. When did your lease start? When was the offender convicted? (Some battles in court now are that newer residency restrictions cannot legally be imposed on offenders convicted before Megan's Law or Jessica's law went into effect.) Databases are updated diligently, but there is some 'lag' time (could be days to weeks). So it is possible you got caught in a 'pause'. In other words, offender could have been convicted Jan 1. You sign lease Jan 4. Paperworks is processed and offender's name shows up in database Jan 10. You were caught in the 'pause', as you moved in during the time Offender was being processed into the system. Or, was he convicted after you had lived there for awhile? As with the crime, there are other possible scenarios with conviction and move-in dates that do not necessarily point toward the landord being uncaring and only it if for the $$. Some landlords might not agree with me, but as a landlord and aunt to a young woman your age with a disability that makes her more vulnerable than average: were she in your shoes, I would want her out. Lots of distance between her and offender. Please do communicate with your landlord. Put it in writing and send it certified (signature required). Tell him/her that you have discovered tenant across the hall has two convictions, and being a single female, you fear for your personal safety. Print out the information from the offender's database, included it with your letter. Keep an exact duplicate of everything you mail for your records. Tell the landlord you are beginning a new apartment search and putting them on notice that you will be leaving before your lease is up and that you anticipate no negative recourse for your move. It's my belief that a reasonable landlord would not attempt to force a single 20 year old woman to live across the hall from a convicted sex offender. The potential risk would far outweigh the gain. If your landlord attempts to force you to stay in the lease, consult an attorney to see what your rights are. In the interim, do not run around your building announcing to anyone who will listen about the presence of this offender. You may well find yourself at the center of a firestorm for violating this person's civil rights regarding residency. Like it or not, that offender has some residency rights. Before I get slammed for saying that, I'm not saying I agree with these rights, I'm simply saying they exist. Laws have been challenged in multiple states that convicted offenders, for various reasons, cannot be discriminated against regarding housing. Primarily it concerns blocking them from living within 2000' of schools, playgrounds or other areas where children congregate. It may well be, in your state, that your landlord cannot legally block this person from living in your building. (Not knowing your state and not being a lawyer, I do not know.) Please read the two articles below on imposing residency limitations on convicted offenders and the ensuing challenge to that law by registered offender(s). If I understand correctly, Iowa Supreme Court stands firm, while California is still battling in this arena. California Proposition 83: Judge blocks part of sex offender law. L.A. Times, Nov 8, 2006 Iowa Supreme Court upholds broad sex offender residency restrictions, Sentencing Law and Policy July 29, 2005 (read the comments posted below article this to see even more sides to the coin, some from registered offenders who have since conviction started families of their own.) Again, I am not agreeing with what's going on, I am only pointing out that there are new laws being put on the books and those new laws are being challenged in some states.

OK, you lived with another person and your incomes were combined to pay bills, and all the bills were in his name, and he 'handled' everything, you say. You just turned over your check to him. Do you even know what the monthly expenses totaled when you lived there? So the expenses were shared and he paid part of them, right? You really need to sit down and figure out your finances. Also, having to explain that the name on the lease of the apartment where you are at now is FAKE and you fooled them into thinking that your legal status is that of a married woman, is not going to look good to prospective landlords. If you pulled a stunt like that at your previous place, a prospective landlord is not going to trust you when dealing with them. In a community property state, like where I live, something like that, on a legal document is very important to creditors. Signing a fake name is not legal anywhere. If I were you, I would also check into the laws of your state, to see if you are now considered Common Law Marriage. There are seven points that the courts looks at. A common law marriage is just as legally binding as a statutory or ceremonial marriage in some jurisdictions. You may have gotten yourself into some hot water, because guess what, there is no common law divorce! The states that currently recognize Common Law Marriage are: Alabama, Colorado, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah. Some states only recognize common Law Marriage for purposes of probate, and BTW the Social Security Adminstration DOES recognize them. This is something to really be aware of since you both are at an age where one of you could die soon. If you live in one of those states I would recommend you see a lawyer for clarification. You really need a lawyer and not a discussion board. There is too much incorrect info in some of these threads so don't listen to everything you read here. For instance housenewbie says that debts don't follow you for the rest of you life and that is just not true. Some debts do. They do not just evaporate. School loans for instance, and child support, army bonuses that were recinded, unpaid court fines, and some debts that went to court and there is a judgment issued. There are some debts that cannot be considered when filing bankruptcy too, just as there are exclusions of property that can be siezed in bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is not the "easy out" that so many assume. Also, bankruptcy laws were tightened in 2005 due to the abuse of the system with serial filers, so walking away from your debts is not the 'easy breezy' thing that it used to be. Unlike what housenewbie says, it IS legal for collection agencies to ding you. You may have to just bite the bullet, and set your lofty ideas, aside and resign yourself to the fact that you will not be living the way to which you have been accustomed if you move.

You need to check your state's law's, as mentioned, to see what is expected of you. Learn them well ;) My state recently changed it's laws and now repainting and carpet cleaning are the landlord's expense to bear. I have no problem bearing the repainting, never did. The carpet cleaning bugs me. I don't like cleaning up other people's dirt, and to me cleaning a carpet is just that. But it's the law, so be it. (As a homeowner, before we got hardwood I cleaned our carpet every 6 months. Boggles my mind the filthy water I've seen come out of rental carpets, and how some tenants will tromp all over the carpet with shoes on, let their kids crawl on that tracked in crud, and not clean it for their own comfort while living there. Gross, imho.) Anyway, do check your state laws on that one. 243 holes is excessive, no matter how you look at it. In a 2 br with l.r., kitchen and bath, that's almost 50 holes per room. Who does that?? Were it me, I'd charge for the labor for all those. What are "unidentified" holes? Larger ones? Drywall damage? You can charge for those. $10/hr is on the low end. If the carpet were only two years old, and it was excellent when they moved in, and now 3 stains won't come out and it's ruined, yeah, I'd charge for that. Because they took it over at the infancy stages of it's life span, not the end of it. Carpeting has gotten quite expensive, and average life span is 7-10 yrs. Could be less in a rental unit, I suppose, but you should get much more more than 2 years out of it. It would actually be better to have wood floors, then as the tennants move out you can just re-sand and varnish them and they are as good as new.. Two of our rentals have original oak hardwood (nearly 80 yrs old) the other is carpeted. I'll take the hardwood any day for between tenant cleaning. However refinishing a hardwood floor is not a job meant to be done regularly to maintain it, while shampooing a carpet regularly extends the lifespan. Refinishing is costly, messy, and not feasible if it's not solid hardwood either. (Engineered hardwood allows for 2 refinishes in its lifespan.) Doesn't stop the damage, either. It got so bad with tenants drilling holes through the flooring to the basement to run cable wire because they didn't like the location prior tenants used, I had to put a clause in the lease that there would be no hole drilling in floors. In one house there are at least 11 holes drilled between l.r. and bedrooms (7 in the living room). One guy apparently used a mini auger to drill a 2" diameter hole to run a stupid cable wire. It's also expensive to refinish. I was quoted $2k to strip and refinish two bedrooms, living room and hallway. I wanted to do it because a tenant had a cat there (against permission) and it urinated on the floor and as a result left 'scorched' or blackened spots. I managed to get out 70% of those marks with a product from HD, but flooring guy urged us to wait till it was no longer a rental to refinish. Do you have photos/video of before and after?

**Follow up - Okay, it's been one day since I posted. (Practically) and the neighbors started up again with their music. This time, rap, with their bass so high it was shaking my son's bedroom door. So, I opened my door, and knocked to tell them to just please turn it down. Of course, no answer. Called my hubby, he told me to scream out in the hallway to tell them to turn it down or I'd call police and they would make them turn it down. So, I followed his advice. And before I could even shut my door, Mr #4 screamed at me, (with beer in hand) And said he could do whatever the *^ he wants, and if I give him any more problems he will see me in jail and hurt my son. So, I said bring it &!!hole and locked my door. (Hubby, heard the whole thing, over the telephone) So, with that said, I called the police. Of course, as I dialed, I had a panic attack - and fianlly the police showed up. I had them come to my door FIRST (or at least one officer) Because for some reason I just did not feel safe anymore. Told the police what had happened, they actually called me down - So, I made an incident report. I asked for an order of protection or something, they told me no - I guess it's only used for couples, boyfriend girlfriend type things ect. BUT - I made an incident report. Then they asked me about my landlord. I told them about the Landlord, and they said to tell him one more time, and if he doesn't listen to call them back and THEY will talk to him. So, they knocked on their door and of course no answer. So, like usual. The cops left. Twenty minutes later someone pounded on my door. I figured it was Mr #4 so I ignored it. My brother was over, and he took a peek out of my kitchen window (It faces out to the front where their bicycles are 'parked') and seen them scurry off down the street. I figured good. Now I can take me and my son out of here. I got him dressed, and as I eft, the stupid idiots put a note on my door. This is EXACTLY what they put. I have the letter right here. "Well, since you have become a problem, Harrassing me, I am telling "Landlord" & DCFS that you and "Hubby" have other people living with you and also MARIJUANA smoking in the house with a child present and all the traffic coming and going! Drug dealing - and aslo have DCFS give "Hubby" a Drug test screening. Also - it is a FELONY for filing a FALSE POLICE REPORT - I will file ANOTHER complaint with DCFS since you have a case already. =] It's not 10:30PM. I can play music ^$@^$!!!!" I have never touched a drug in my life. Ever. My hubby was a dumb teenager back in the day, but ever since he graduated hiughschool he left it in the past. As for 'traffic' coming and going, sure. I have company. But never really on a regualr basis. SOmetimes a babysitter here, a friend there. My mother-in-law shows up..That's it... As for "Other people living with me" There is none. Just me, hubby a toddler. Sometimes my brother comes to spend the night (He lives in wisconsin, comes down for visits for a week, and leaves). Filing a "False" police report is a felony. But it wasn't false. I just don't understand these people. I took the letter to the police station, and they said it's enough evidence to book him in jail. But, the cop told me (It was the same guy that was over earlier) "Fine. We can put him in jail. But his bond is $100, He'll be there overnight, get out on bond...and slash your tires, or burn the place down or worse..." So, he basically gave me a choice. I didn't know what to do. So I chose not to. I want to move so bad... I guess for the meantime my landlord can eat crap - My life is in danger, as well as my son. I already paid November month's rent, I'm leaving tonight. I'm putting everything in storage, and staying with a friend a few blocks down until I can save up and move out. As for my neighbors, I hope they rot in hell. I live in Kankakee County, Illinois. I live in Bradley.