My landlord told me to stop brewing!

[Beernik]

The only thing I can see that is explodable besides bottles are carboys. Blowing a lid off a bucket or shattering a carboy can make a hell of a mess.

I know a lot of landlords here are paranoid about potential meth labs.

Maybe invite him to sit in on a brewday so he can see the process for himself.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

"Manufacturing" is definitely vague enough to include homebrewing -- especially if you have CO2 tanks and kegs lying around.

If your landlord believes you are putting the building/tenants at risk, he has an obligation to forbid you from homebrewing. Your best weapon is going to be opening up dialogue on the subject and providing information and coming to an understanding.

 

[DoctorDuvel]

my only advice is don't stop brewing...you'll figure out the rest

 

[l1ranger]

i'd talk to him and tell him that you its really not dangerous at all and you would like to invite him to join your for a brewday to see for himself and maybe a couple other times during the whole process so he can see you are not hiding anything.

if that don't work, its time to move

 

[Lcasanova]

Like the others said, the only thing wrong you could be doing is using a burner on the porch/parking lot/patio. If you aren't doing that, and are boiling on the stovetop

option 1 - take an opportunity to educate someone about homebrewing. Most people are rather ignorant of the process. A simple conversation might set him straight, and even get him to consider the hobby himself

option 2 - dont stop. If you are brewing inside on the stove, how the hell will he know you are still doing it? If they do an inspection, hide the fermenters, or say you are making pickles or something.


If you are using a burner on the porch/patio/parking lot, thats probably against the rules. Start brewing 3.5 gallon stovetop batches.

I agree. Around here some villages don't allow you to have a grill on the porch, especially if it is wooden. That said, you wouldn't even be able to use a stand burner out there. But what the hell?! It's just like boiling water for pasta...you just add extra ingredients, forget the pasta, and boil for a lot longer!

 

[Gremlyn]

"Manufacturing" is definitely vague enough to include homebrewing -- especially if you have CO2 tanks and kegs lying around.

If your landlord believes you are putting the building/tenants at risk, he has an obligation to forbid you from homebrewing. Your best weapon is going to be opening up dialogue on the subject and providing information and coming to an understanding.

It said manufacturing a product... define as 'merchandise: commodities offered for sale;'

Unless he is selling his home brew, no products are being made. I'm with the others about explaining it. I would start by asking him what it is he feels is dangerous about your brewing process.

 

[starrfish]

Quote: Originally Posted by deviousalex
"Residents also agree not to do or permit anything to be done in the Premises that may be deemed hazardous" :Quote

LOL don't smoke in bed! LOL or don't take a nap while brewing. Same danger.

 

[Lcasanova]

...isn't driving considered hazardous? for that matter, isn't getting out of bed or even staying in bed hazardous?

you get out and the floor caves in under your feet

you stay in and the roof over your head caves in!

 

[OntarioBeerKegs]

He should be happy, at least you sanitize the kitchen every brew day.

 

[Frank99]

Have him over for a couple of good homebrews and ask him what he's concerned about ( do not mention the lease!). Just allay his fears and tell him there's no issue. For the next few weeks drop off a sixer of your homebrew and let him know it's ok to stop by to "shoot the ****" over a brew. Problem solved. Trust me, there's nothing in the lease about this and he knows it.

 

[Catt22]

Call his bluff. You pay your rent on time I would assume and are otherwise not a problem. This qualifies you as a very desirable tenant. He would very much not want to lose you if he is the owner of the property. Schmooze him a little and invite him over to see how you brew. Letting him see what you are actually doing should make the issue disappear. Make it as easy as possible for him to change his position without appearing stupid. Sometimes people like that will have an ego problem that won't let them admit they made a hasty judgment and were wrong. Their stubbornness can be formidable and if you can't charm a way around that you may have no alternative but to find somewhere else to live. Been there and done that, as they say and more than once too.

 

[Pick]

Ask him if it is ok to deep fry a turkey.

 

[DubbelDach]

He should be happy, at least you sanitize the kitchen every brew day.

I tell my wife that... Anything I touch during a brew day is immeasurably cleaner than before I touched it.

Even when I soak a Better Bottle in Oxyclean, I dump it out in the kitchen sink and let it sit there for a bit. The stainless sink looks fantastic when I'm done.

 

[IrregularPulse]

I tell my wife that... Anything I touch during a brew day is immeasurably cleaner than before I touched it.

Even when I soak a Better Bottle in Oxyclean, I dump it out in the kitchen sink and let it sit there for a bit. The stainless sink looks fantastic when I'm done.

My wife doesn't so much enjoy my brewing in the kitchen. We have 2-3 little rings and one LARGE oval burnt into our relatively new counter tops. Concentrated Starsan defeats laminate counter tops every time

 

[BendBrewer]

I really do not think he has the right to tell you that you can't brew. That being said, he could make your life difficult even though you are in the right.

Renters have rights too.

 

[Hang Glider]

My wife doesn't so much enjoy my brewing in the kitchen. We have 2-3 little rings and one LARGE oval burnt into our relatively new counter tops. Concentrated Starsan defeats laminate counter tops every time

off topic, but I'm there with you. My house had BLACK laminate counters when I moved in. (do NOT do this! one grain of salt shows up!) Drips down the side of the bottle have definitely ruined this counter's appearance!

Back on - +1 for the invite to the landlord. Good luck!

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Unless it's illeagal in your jurisdiction or the landlord has a clause in the contract, he has no legal recourse to prevent you from brewing, frying a turkey, or boiling lobster on the property.

 

[Homercidal]

He has no legal leg to stand on. The clause which states you can be evicted for hazardous things is very vague. I'd just ignore him. If he brings it up again, discuss the fact that it is NOT dangerous, unlike making liquor. It's just boiling water, like a big pot of spaghetti. There are NO combustibles involved.

If he does an inspection and finds carboys, just tell him that you have had to start brewing at a friends house. Nope, that big pot boiling on the stove is just soup. Barley soup. I like it sweet.

 

[Jaysus]

Just tell him that you stopped brewing. If he ever stops in and sees your equipment, just tell him they are gifts for a friend, or you are in the process of selling it.

"What about the full one?" - that was full before you stopped brewing.

 

[BlueSunshine]

I really think this is a case of a landlord having absolutely no idea what he's talking about.

 

[chrispykid]

What he doesn't know won't hurt him - keep brewing and next time you bring a carboy into the house put it in an appliance box.

 

[BrokenBrew]

Hey Alex -

First, I'm a landlord. I have owned over 20 rental properties over time. I may not know Calif laws, but I sure as hell know Colorado. Having said that, I can probably help, but need more info. Is this a house, apartment, condo? Is the landlord a large company, individual owner, or property management firm? If an individual, how old is he? How big is the place?

Here's the thing. I've had great residents that I'd bend over backwards for. I've had others, I'd find the first thing I possibly could to hold over them to kick their butts out. Do you pay on time? Ever been a problem?

Give me some more info and maybe I can give you some decent advice.

The first, and best piece of advice I can give you is don't start a fight. All the suggestions of 'screw him', 'just do it', etc will just get you kicked out.

 

[DRoyLenz]

What I would do (and don't consider this advice, because I don't pretend to say that this is the BEST course of action, just what my lazy-a$$ would do).

Nothing.

I would continue to brew, and just be a little discrete when you're carrying precarious looking equipment in and out of the apartment. If you have the opportunity to talk to him about it, do so, but I personally wouldn't go out of my way. You know it's not dangerous, and you know you're not being irresponsible. I live in a shared living environment to, with condos next to and below me. My biggest concern is bottle bombs, and spilling 5 gallons of wort/beer somewhere, because I fear it would drip down in to my neighbor's place. So I'm extra careful in those respects, and try to avoid using carboys (unless my pipeline is full).

Plus, I'm no legal expert, but I'm going to GUESS that until he issues you a request to stop in writing, there is no legal recourse he can take. If he does do that, then maybe you need to explore a few more proactive measures (see all entries above).

Good luck!

 

[Zamial]

This sounds like a fussy neighbor mixed with an uneducated landlord. I would make a large batch of beer and then make up a few invites for a BBQ and invite the landlord and neighbors over, *sigh* and their kids too.
Invest in some polish sausage or even better brats, precoook them in beer and have all the fixings for them. Server hot dogs for the kids. Make up a batch of dry-ice-rootbeer (it is made in a cooler) for the kids and serve a few of your home brews around to the adults. Then tell them all that part of the reason for the BBQ is not only to promote friendship and well being but that you actually want to show them the process of home brewing to put any fears aside.
Then do it! right in front of them, show them every step of the process and answer any questions they have. Always be polite even if they are not, the saying "kill them with kindness" applies here.

EXAMPLE: The landlord voices a concern over a carboy exploding and making a big mess. You could offer to place the carboy in a water proof plastic tub (half of a plastic 55 gal. drum) and use towels, while smiling and asking them if they have the same concerns for a 55 gallon fish tanks? since that would be the equivalent of 10 carboys and the carboys glass is thicker...

This is what I would do and if that did not work I would simply start looking for a new place to rent. Life is too short for undo stress. Remember no problem is permanent except death.

GL

 

[ArtVandelay]

Just tell your landlord and neighbors that you are going to start cooking indian food instead. They will beg you to continue brewing.

 

[Stevorino]

What I would do (and don't consider this advice, because I don't pretend to say that this is the BEST course of action, just what my lazy-a$$ would do).

Nothing.

I would continue to brew, and just be a little discrete when you're carrying precarious looking equipment in and out of the apartment. If you have the opportunity to talk to him about it, do so, but I personally wouldn't go out of my way. You know it's not dangerous, and you know you're not being irresponsible. I live in a shared living environment to, with condos next to and below me. My biggest concern is bottle bombs, and spilling 5 gallons of wort/beer somewhere, because I fear it would drip down in to my neighbor's place. So I'm extra careful in those respects, and try to avoid using carboys (unless my pipeline is full).

Plus, I'm no legal expert, but I'm going to GUESS that until he issues you a request to stop in writing, there is no legal recourse he can take. If he does do that, then maybe you need to explore a few more proactive measures (see all entries above).

Good luck!

This is what I'd do too - maybe do it at times you think he's less likely to come by the house.

My landlords in the past have ranged from complete ******** to really nice guys - only you know how much you can get away with. But at the end of the day, nobody wants to get lawyers involved in something this stupid - just be quiet about it and don't make a fuss.

 

[BlueSunshine]

Just tell your landlord and neighbors that you are going to start cooking indian food instead. They will beg you to continue brewing.

Hey, I love Indian food (including the smell)!

Also, I too am in the rental business and the best thing you could do is try and have a conversation with the guy. If he's a good guy, he'll understand. If he's a prick, he'll kick you out if you continue to brew. It's really a case by case thing.

 

[deviousalex]

Is this a house, apartment, condo?

The property is an apartment complex with brobably about 50-60 apartments.

Is the landlord a large company, individual owner, or property management firm? If an individual, how old is he? How big is the place?

He is not technically the landlord come to think of it, he is the property manager. The property is owned by a couple people that inherited it but made it into a company afaik. They own other properties too. He is at least in his 70s.

Here's the thing. I've had great residents that I'd bend over backwards for. I've had others, I'd find the first thing I possibly could to hold over them to kick their butts out. Do you pay on time? Ever been a problem?

I always pay rent on time. In addition I've never had a problem or anything been done against me. The worst thing that has happened is we were on balcony at 3 AM and another guy comes out from a few apartments down and goes "It's 3 AM. STFU". I don't think he filed a complaint though.

 

[Synovia]

Also, I too am in the rental business and the best thing you could do is try and have a conversation with the guy. If he's a good guy, he'll understand. If he's a prick, he'll kick you out if you continue to brew. It's really a case by case thing.

I don't know the laws in your state, but in most of the states I've lived in, its pretty much impossible to kick a tenant out who pays every month.

 

[springer]

I don't know the laws in your state, but in most of the states I've lived in, its pretty much impossible to kick a tenant out who pays every month.

here it takes three months to evict someone who hasn't paid rent.