Q I'm concerned that my landlord is about to let my lease lapse, because I haven't been offered a renewal, as he usually does.
I think his reason might be because I hand-load ammunition and my strong avocation is target shooting. In fact, my social life revolves around it.
Can my landlord refuse to renew my lease based on this?
A Landlords don't have to renew leases and don't need a reason as long as the decision isn't based on anything illegal, such as discrimination over a tenant's race or retaliation for a call to a city inspector for building-code violations.
Since your landlord has renewed your lease in the past, your occupation and hobby never bothered him then.
Contact your landlord and request a renewal lease. It might just be an oversight. If you don't get a renewal or a notice to vacate, you will be on a month-to-month tenancy, which will require a 30-day notice by either party to terminate the lease. If you do get a notice to vacate, you must move or face possible eviction.
State law allows a tenant to assert retaliation as a defense to an eviction if the tenant can show that it was intended as a penalty for a tenant's attempt to secure or enforce rights under state or federal law.
If you believe that the landlord's decision not to renew was based on your target shooting hobby, you could argue that your landlord's refusal to renew your lease is a result of you exercising your second amendment right to bear arms. This is probably a long shot. For example, while you have the right to bear arms, if you are hand-loading ammunition inside the home, that is a dangerous activity and not likely to be considered appropriate for a residential setting.
