TWeaK

OP asked what their rights were, so that was the focus of my reply. You’re right though, and I’ve said as much in my main comment, it’s better to avoid the situation entirely than to stick a finger up and try to assert your rights.

Nope, it defaults to an informal tenancy if they’ve been living there long enough (usually something like 3 months), and this includes the time when they were under 18. So if a child grows up in the home, they automatically become a tenant at 18. This is also regardless of whether they actually pay rent.

You don’t need a written contract for there to be a contract in place.

If OP’s mom does not formally evict OP then OP would be able to sue for an unlawful eviction. In such a circumstance, OP would want to call the police to gain entry - if not to assert their tenancy rights and stay in the property then at least to collect their belongings.

Based on the use of “mom” and “OWI”, almost certainly.

TL;DR You are almost certainly a tenant and have the rights of a tenant, but common sense says you should respect your mom’s wishes and not give out her address online.

Because I’m annoyed that people assumed I was wrong and that you must be in some other jurisdiction, I’ve dug in deeper and I’m going to give 4 specific examples for jurisdictions you might live in based on your use of “OWI”.

Wisconsin - an adult child is a tenant, and must be formally evicted. Source

Michigan - an adult child is a tenant, and must be formally evicted. Source

Iowa - an adult child is a tenant, and must be formally evicted. Source

Indiana - an adult child is a tenant, and must be formally evicted. Source

These are the 4 states that commonly use OWI instead of DUI (technically Wisconsin uses something slightly different but I think they commonly say OWI - this source lists these 4 states, while this source has a full list of the specific legal terms for every state).

Your mom could evict you for breaking her house rules, but she can’t just immediately throw you on the streets. She has to serve proper written notice and go through the courts to get you evicted.

In practice, it might be hard to enforce these rights, but they are your rights. If your mom kicks you out or changes the locks the police should be called to mediate your entry. At the very least you should be able to collect some belongings eg clothes, toiletries, legal documents (birth cert and SSN card). Furthermore, if you are unable to properly assert your rights as a tenant, you likely still have a strong civil claim - you would be able to sue your mom for an unlawful eviction and claim back what you spend on last minute accommodation.

However, it’s generally better not to get kicked out in the first place - in particular you need up front money to pay for last minute accommodation and the cost of filing a lawsuit. Such a lawsuit may be small claims, where the filing fees are relatively low and you don’t need a lawyer, but the specifics of this vary by state much more than adult child tenancies (for example, Iowa is up to $5,000 for small claims, but Wisconsin can be up to $10,000 for money and Wisconsin has no limits on rent claims).

Disclaimer: IANAL - I Am Not A Lawyer, if you want proper information you should try to get a free consultation with a lawyer local to you that deals with tenancies.

Setting aside all the legal stuff, you should consider what your behaviour looks like to your mom. If you want to demonstrate that you’re a responsible adult that should be trusted, you probably shouldn’t be trying to “take your chances” and circumvent your mom’s rules. She doesn’t want random people knowing her address, so don’t give out her address to random people you meet online. You would be better off meeting them in a public place with other people around, but at the very least you could meet on a nearby street rather than letting them come all the way to your mom’s.

Of course, but OP hasn’t said where they’re from, and the only thing we have to go on is that they talk about their “mom”. This generally points to someone being from the US (however it could be someone that merely learned English from a US-style teacher).

At the very least, we can reasonably conclude they’re not in Canada, the UK or Australia.

Sure, but absent any specifics from OP I’ve taken the fact that they said “mom” to point to them being in the US.

Obviously, the exact law depends on the jurisdiction, but saying “mom” at the very least rules out several places where this isn’t the case. OP also mentioned an “OWI”, which is an American legal term.

Sure, but I think it’s reasonable to assume OP is in the US, given that they used mom and not mum. At the very least, it’s unlikely they’re in the UK (or Australia or Canada).

Edit: OP also mentioned their mom had an “OWI”, which is an American term.

This is wrong. Because OP is now an adult they are legally a tenant and thus OP’s mom would have to formally evict OP.

She can’t just kick OP out, OP is an adult and thus legally a tenant. If OP’s mom wants OP gone, she has to go through the formal eviction process and serve proper notice.

Edit: The below is true for (most states in) the US, which I have assumed OP is from based on the use of “mom” and “OWI”. The downvoters are ignorant.

If you’re an adult then legally you’re a tenant, and you have all the rights of a tenant living with a landlord. Given that you almost certainly don’t have a written contract, there aren’t really any additional terms she can impose that go beyond a standard tenancy agreement.

To be clear, most jurisdictions treat a tenant living with a landlord slightly different to a tenant living privately in a separate property. So if you want to look up your rights for where you live you need to make sure it’s for that kind of cohabiting situation.

However, your mom can’t just kick you out, legally. She has to formally evict you using the same process any other landlord would evict their tenant. If she did kick you out or change the locks, you would be within your rights to call the police and have them mediate to grant access to your home.

As a tenant, you are allowed to have guests over. Not just waiting outside or on the driveway to pick you up, but inside and maybe even occasional overnight stays. Although again this may be where living with the landlord makes it slightly different.

All of this is underscored by the non-legal parts - your relationship with your mother and your continued tenancy. She can evict you, and if you fall out then she may well do that. Just because the law is on your side doesn’t necessarily mean your mom will want or have to maintain a relationship with you. A balanced position might be to assert your rights while trying not to be a dick about it and offering a fair compromise with your mom. I would say meeting your boyfriend in your driveway is a reasonable compromise, however she might not see it that way.