HOUSTON — Presidential hopeful Beto O’Rourke was in Houston over the weekend.
He has thousands of loyal local supporters, including one who reached out to KHOU 11 News.
Edmond Lee says his apartment management told him to remove a campaign sign from his window.
Lee emailed, “There are several individual apartments that have been threatened with outrageous fines in the hundreds of dollars or even eviction for displaying them, which seems like a gross violation of free speech, as well as an overreach of a tenant-landlord relationship.”
KHOU 11 News checked with two sources to verify whether an apartment complex can force residents to take down political signs.
The Houston Apartment Association and KHOU legal analyst Gerald Treece say properties can restrict signs and banners, because it’s private property. They have to enforce the rules for everyone though.
If they ban some signs and keep others, that could be a civil rights violation.
Therefore, KHOU can verify apartment complexes can make residents take down political signs
That being said, residents don’t have to stay. One tenant says he already turned in his notice citing the sign issue as his reason why.
“I’m probably going to do what a couple of the other apartments are doing. I’m going to finish out my lease and leave,” said Lee.
Is there something you want us to look into? Email verify@khou.com or reach out on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag "KHOU Verify."
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