Tenant Says the Landlord Never Disclosed That Part of the Property Was Leased Out for Hunting

The lease looked like a dream setup at first. According to the Reddit post, a 25-year-old man had just signed a lease, paid the first month’s rent, and put down a security deposit on a house sitting on 25 acres in North Carolina. The land was a huge part of the appeal. It was not just a house. It was space to ride dirt bikes, hike, enjoy privacy, and use the property recreationally.

That was what he believed he was getting when he signed.

The original Reddit post can be found here: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/1rvsys5/landlord_did_not_disclose_part_of_property_is/

During the tour, the owners allegedly told him the land usage was his and that he could use it recreationally. The listing showed the house address and the land that came with it, and the tax and property records showed the full 25-acre parcel. Nothing about the situation seemed to suggest he would only be renting the house and a small section around it.

Then, after getting the keys and walking the property, he found deer stands.

That discovery changed everything. A deer stand is not usually random junk left in the woods. It means someone has been using the land, scouting it, and likely planning to come back during hunting season. When he contacted the landlord, he learned for the first time that part of the property was being rented out to hunters.

Even worse, according to the post, the landlord said the house actually only came with about two acres. If the tenant wanted access to all 25 acres, rent would go up by $100 a month.

That made the tenant feel misled. He had signed a lease thinking the full parcel was part of the deal. The lease described the property as a single-family residence and, according to the post, did not clearly say that most of the land was excluded or leased to a separate third party. The tenant was now being told that strangers could come through the yard and woods to hunt, with the first stand about 150 yards from the house.

That is not a small surprise. A tenant who wants privacy and recreational land may view 25 acres very differently if part of it is already promised to hunters. Even if the hunters are responsible and legal, they are still third parties entering land the tenant believed he had rented.

There was also the safety issue. The concern was not just “someone else gets to hunt deer.” It was that armed hunters might be using land close to the home. A tenant with dirt bikes, pets, family, or guests would want to know when hunters are present, where they are set up, and whether the leased hunting area overlaps with the land he thought he could use freely.

The poster said the tenant was talking with the landlord and trying to figure out whether he could keep the lease and get the full property as expected, or whether he had grounds to recover the deposit and rent if the property was not what had been represented.

Commenters focused on the lease and the practical leverage. Several said that if the lease and listing appeared to describe the full 25-acre property, the landlord may have a problem trying to rent the same land to hunters separately.

Others warned that playing hardball with the landlord could create consequences later, especially if the tenant wanted to stay beyond the first lease term. Even if he had a good argument, he had to decide whether he wanted a fight, a rent reduction, full land access, or a clean exit.

Some commenters suggested asking for either the hunters’ lease to be canceled, the tenant’s access to be honored, or the rent reduced to reflect that he was only getting two acres instead of the full parcel. Others said a real estate or landlord-tenant attorney could review the lease and send a formal letter if needed.

A few hunters in the comments pointed out that deer stands may not only be used during deer season. Hunters may return for maintenance, scouting, turkey, squirrel, or other game depending on the season. That means the issue might not be limited to a few weekends.

There was also a warning not to intentionally interfere with legal hunters. Some commenters noted that hunter harassment laws can exist, and trying to scare off game with dirt bikes could create a separate issue if the hunters had a valid lease.

The post ended with the tenant trying to sort out what he had actually rented. He thought he was getting a private house on 25 acres. After finding the deer stands, he was suddenly being told the land was shared with hunters unless he paid more.