Can a landlord blacklist you for one months rent?

The only way he could "blacklist" you is to spread the word that you were a late or delinquent renter to his buddies. There is no legal "blacklist" procedure.

He could, however, affect your credit report if he had the means to report you to the major credit bureaus.

If you paid a deposit at the beginning of your rental /lease contract with him, you could tell him to use the deposit as rent instead of returning it to you for the last month you are there.

never heard of "blacklisting" a tenant, and I'm pretty sure he could not effect your credit rating due to the fact almost all landlord tenant disputes would be a civil matter, best he could do is take you to court but that would be a stretch if you only owe him for one month. All you need to do is come up with one inconvenience, hot water does not work all the time, cold in the winter, door won't shut properly, pesky ghost wont let you sleep! use your imagination, most landlords are scum bags anyways so it probably wouldn't be hard to find some dirt on him!

that being said, if it is a nice home and everything works properly and the landlord is a descent enough guy, you should probably come clean with him and pay up! only fair!

Pay the last month's rent.
Be there and take pictures of the inspection of the condition of the space.
Put the landlord on notice (in writing) the security deposit canNOT be used to repair general wear and tear and that you expect a full refund of your deposit PLUS interest (if your State allows a Landlord to invest Security Deposits in an interest bearing account) within 30 days of the cessation of the lease.
Contact your local renter's right association.
Joe(be well)Nation

lol interest, ya right! what like a whole 4 dollars! before I bought a house I rented for many years and I have to tell you, I never knew a landlord who played fair! they never give you back the damage deposit no matter what is wrong with the place! he probably pays well under 2k a month so going to court would be pointless, it then goes to mediation and the landlord wins every time! the system offers nothing for the tenant and rarely do they ever win a dispute! the system is broken and corrupt! so unless you have a good landlord which probably make up less than 25% of the rentals out there, your better off to do what everyone else does, don't pay last months rent! you can bet you wont see the damage deposit, whine and cry all you want, it wont get you anywhere!

I stand by my advice. Why give the Landlord any advantage over you? He/she can rightly say the rent was not paid AND, if you have no proof of the condition of the space, he/she can keep your deposit for some mythical repair that needed to be done.
AND he can report same to any prospective landlord who asks him/her about you.
You must not spend much time in small claims court. Renters who abide by the rules, i.e. pay the final month's rent and leave a clean space have the right to receive their security deposit back. Read your lease, I bet it specifically says you cannot use the security deposit for the final month's rent.

Four dollars interest? Good.
Joe(around here, four bucks buys a beer during happy hour)Nation

In Houston, unpaid rent is put on a report to a renters association.

It depends on the state. In my state, the landlord has to return deposit within 21 days or is required to provide a list of repairs and costs. If no list is provided within 21 days the tenant is entitled to double the deposit. In the case of a dispute, the landlord is the one that is required to show the damage was not more than normal wear and tear. Simply take pictures of the apartment and do a walk through to look for damages.

You would be better off paying the last month under those circumstances.

It's the same in New York as well as many other States.

I'll say again, contact the local Renters Association.

Joe(Good luck)Nation

Blacklisting someone is not easy still you should get in touch with a lawyer asap.

If your deposit is held in Trust, by a Tribunal and you personally paid the deposit he gets it, as the records will show you owe rent. That's it, end of story in most States no matter where you live.

If it is with a Housing Trust Commission in-other-words guaranteed by a Government you will be blacklisted in as much as they are usually asked why the full bond is going to the landlord and you will be liable to pay that back and may not get another "loan".

I want to say this as a Property Manager, Real Estate Agent. Whether you rent or own, rent / mortgage is foremost you need good credit ratings in this area full stop. Other debts you can negotiate and pay off such as credit cards, power, gas.

To owe a months rent to a Landord is a night mare, he/she has to pay his Mortgage.. Get a grip on reality of living and expenses, don't rent something you can't afford, understand that whilst you are worried, he/she has a major issue that you created. And, more so, once you have a bad record you can't rent again, people are not stupid even if you found a place without "their " reference well done, that's a once off..

If you owe back rent, but everything else checks out okay, many managers will lease to you if you can prove you have at least made a deal to pay the rent off in payments.

No he cant but you have to pay your last rent and have a good background in your credit card.