ADG Photography wrote:

You beat me to it!   I was going to make the same comment. 

I fully expect to start seeing, any day now, the renewed burning of witches as this country heads back to the days and mentality of Salem.

Nah, they won't be burning witches, they'll burn whichever group is unpopular at the moment...right now, it may be the people running the bible belt...

But seriously, besides California, I think every state has been called the Bible Belt...
Maybe that's what we get for living in a country founded on Christian beliefs?

Peter Dattolo wrote:
You cant just not tell the landlord. After you spends big bucks to set up the studio the way you want and then he finds out you do nudes, he will evict you if you refuse to leave when he says he is throwing you out.

So you tell him you are in business as a general photographic studio and absolutely nothing about the character of the work you do.

Noooooo, once your "in"... violating your lease is virtually the only grounds he has for eviction. As a general matter... If it's not in your lease [that you can't shoot nudes or anything else e.g. pets,] and you are not somehow breaking the law in any other way, then, once in, you don't have to go anywhere until it expires whereupon he can refuse to give you a new one.

Studio36

JM Dean wrote:
I have been trying to rent retail space for a studio. I just received a call from a realtor. She states the landlord was not aware I was doing nudes and has rejected me for that reason.

Thoughts?

Well that sucks... I hope you find a better studio... *good luck*

studio36uk wrote:

So you tell him you are in business as a general photographic studio and absolutely nothing about the character of the work you do.

Noooooo, once your "in"... violating your lease is virtually the only grounds he has for eviction. As a general matter... If it's not in your lease [that you can't shoot nudes or anything else e.g. pets,] and you are not somehow breaking the law in any other way, then, once in, you don't have to go anywhere until it expires whereupon he can refuse to give you a new one.

Studio36

In my opinion you are living in the clouds if you think it’s all clear once you are in.

First off, it is sometimes very easy to "violate a lease" without knowing you have done it,
Many commercial leases are written in such a manner as to greatly favor the property owner.
There are often "use and behavior" clauses that are loosely defined and give the landlord ample room to get an unwanted tenant out and "Confession of judgment" clauses that allow a judge to rule against you when you are not present in court to defend yourself.
The courts tend to favor the landlord in many of these disputes so you can have a case that looks good and still lose.

But assuming that the renter had used a very good real estate lawyer to clear up the lease agreement so that it was ironclad.
An owner who wants you gone can make you life difficult and costly sometimes to the point that you will choose to leave.
Just the time and cost to fight an eviction can be substantial even if you win.
And if he gets petty and say decides to start renovating during business hours causing massive amounts of noise, dust, and "temporarily" relocates your entrance to the ally next to the dumpster....
or takes 3 weeks to fix the "Broken" Heater in February.....
Or maybe he gets the local anti porno league to picket your studio for weeks on end,
or puts a cooler of dead fish in the storage close next to your studio.

Well how much money do you need to loose before you find another studio?

I know that it is unlikely that the renter would have these problems,
But why open your business up to additional risk?
There are plenty or landlords who wont give a damn what you are shooting,
Be up front with them and find a nice space where you can rent with out this particular worry.