A woman in Orem says she was evicted for expressing suicidal thoughts. (Photo: Kelli Pierce)
OREM, Utah – A young woman in Orem claims she is being evicted from her apartment because of a mental health issue. A copy of the eviction notice has gone viral on social media, with many people now upset at the landlord.
The woman, who wants to remain anonymous, told KSL NewsRadio that she expressed suicidal thoughts to her roommates during an argument. That’s when she claims they told the landlord about the incident.
On Tuesday she received an eviction notice from Ventana Student Housing, which stated that she had violated the lease.
It reads, in part, “We have been made aware that you have vocalized suicidal tendencies which has caused undue stress and alarm to your roommates and violated Part E and F of #7 in your lease…We ask that you take the next few days to move out your belongings and find alternative housing.”
The young woman says she was shocked to get the notice and does not think this is good for others who are struggling with mental health issues.
“On the one hand, you have everyone telling me you need to open up about it and you need to talk about it because you can’t hold it in. And, then, I have my apartment telling me that if I come out about it, that I won’t have a place to live,” she said.
Calls to Ventana Student Housing for their side of the story and for more details on the eviction have not been returned.
Eviction experts speaking to KSL NewsRadio say, assuming the details are true, what the apartment complex did is legal. However, they also say it is very rare for a landlords to evict tenants for a mental health issue unless there is a significant threat of harm to other tenants.
Brigham Young University also had to clarify on Twitter that this is complex is not part of their student housing, after they were misidentified as the place the woman goes to school. She is currently enrolled in Utah Valley University.
Although she claims she is being unfairly evicted, the woman hopes this will lead to something positive.
“If any of this can help anyone stay where they’re at and not have to worry about somewhere to live while they’re already struggling, that’s what I want to come of it,” she says.