“Sexual clauses” in leases not uncommon, lawyer says

Gross misconduct by skeevy landlords is likely worse than most would think, according to one lawyer.

Sheryl Ring, who specializes in working with low-income tenants and homeowners in Chicago, told Curbed that landlords put “sexual clauses” in leases more often than people realize. They take advantage of tenants who may not be aware such clauses violate the Fair Housing Act.

“I see this on a regular basis,” Ring said.

Sheryl Ring (Twitter)

Ring recounted horror stories about landlords who put daily lap dance requirements in leases and the multitude of landlords who still require approval for a female tenant’s overnight guests. She also noted that landlords who don’t put those clauses in leases sometimes text tenants with inappropriate messages.

The predatory behavior from landlords is made possible because of a power disparity between them and their tenants, who need places to live with their families, according to Ring. She added that such behavior tends to affect women of color and trans women more than white women and cisgender women.

The lawyer also told the publication that there’s been an uptick in these instances since the start of the pandemic, though she was quick to note it wasn’t unheard of prior to Covid.

“When you have a clientele who has nowhere else to go, they are the very definition of a captive audience,” Ring said. She placed some of the blame on private investors buying up single-family homes.

Sadly, Ring believes the bad behavior may worsen in the near future as landlords take advantage of the rising rental market and housing affordability crunch.

“It is going to get worse before it gets better,” she said. “This is something where it is a daily occurrence for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people every day.”

Worse, she added, “I’ve never had a case where my client was the first one this landlord did it to.”

— Holden Walter-Warner