My roommate signed a lease and now is not moving in am I suck with all the rent?

Question

A friend and I were going to move in together for a year to save money. She saw the place and signed the lease. I'm sober and she decided to go back out and not move in. Can she ditch her lease? I can't afford to move back to my one bedroom 'cuz they upped the rent there and I certainly can't afford a two bedroom? Trying to keep it together...

Answer 1

What a horrible situation to be in!  

Your friend has signed a legal document by signing the lease and is obligated to the flat.  I would be reminding your friend of this fact!  

I would be reading the lease agreement that you both signed in depth.

If you have already moved into the flat it is likely that the landlord will hold you liable for the entire lease until you can find another flatmate etc.

If you have not already moved into the flat I would be talking to your future landlord to explain the situation that your friend has put you in and hope that they are simpathetic!  I would be prepared to loose your deposit at a minimum - but hopefully you will have a simpathetic landlord!

Good luck - I hope it all works out!

Answer 2

if a lease is signed  she can not back out

i own multi's and a lease is a legal contract; you can technically sue her for her half of the money the entire lease term.

or you will have to convince the landlord to negate the lease, which he may do to save costs of future eviction.make sure you get a signed slip from him negating the lease

Answer 3

Landlord Tenancy Law for Kids Seeking Their First Apartment [or House or Bedroom in a House]

available for free at associatedcontent.com

i wrote it

if you need further help, let me know; free.

Answer 4

If she signed a lease depending on if the lease is month to month or a year she is not to break the lease.What you should do is contact the landlord and see if they have a one bedroom you can rent since you can't afford to pay rent by yourself.In the future keep in mind that sometimes it's not a good choice to have a roommate take it from me I know from experience it's gone to always be some problems.Good Luck and I hope everything works out for you.

Answer 5

Without having seen your lease agreement I'm guessing that your will be liable for the rent payments.  Perhaps you should spend the money for a consultation with a real estate attorney to see what your options are in the state where you reside.

Good luck.

Answer 6

Why don't you let her worry about it; if you're not moving in either? I guess you already live there? Don't live there; you will probably lose the deposit, hopefully she paid half of it. If you have no place else to go-what can I say? Find another room mate. You could take her to small claims court, but only for the cost of the lease and the time she was there-if any.

Answer 7

Take her to Judge Judy!

If she signed on the dotted line, she is responsible for her portion of the rent, but if she doesn't pay it, then it's likely that you could be evicted since the total rent hasn't been paid.

if I were you, I would ask around to see if anyone is looking for a roommate. If you don't find one there, then put an ad in the neighborhood.

as a last resort, you should explain the situation to the landlord and see what sort of resolution you can come up with.

Answer 8

If she signed the lease then she's resposible for the terms of the lease.  In most cases, she would at least need to pay her part of the month's notice you would need to give.  Are you on the lease as well?

Answer 9

If she was the only one that signed the lease, you're screwed.  If both of you did, then she is responsible.  You need to talk to your landlord and advise them of the situation.  They will either try to work with you or evict you immediately. (Eviction will show on her record too) If you take her to court, make her pay the court costs.  Sounds like you're in for a fight either way.  Good luck.

Answer 10

you are stuck. you can sue her in small claims court however you will have to prove that you tried to find another roomate and couldnt. try to find another friend and dont do that anymore in the future. what does your being sober have to do with it.did she back out because you were drinking too much.she has a right to feel safe where she lives.

Answer 11

She is responsible for her half of the rent but good luck getting it from her.  You can take her to court but even if you got a judgement you'd have a hard time (maybe impossible time) enforcing it if she still won't pay.  Still, you may want to go to court anyhow as this may get her to pay some of what she owes (and maybe make you feel a bit better if not).

In the mean time, and renting the place; I'd call up the landlord and explain it all to him.  Maybe he'd let you sublet the place (ie find someone to take her place).  If the rent is not paid (even her half of it) the landlord can go after both of you for this money and hurt both your credits.  He will also undoubtedly evict you as well.

So, for you, check on subletting the place and if this is ok try as best you can to find a replacement renter for her.  If this fails I'd move to the most afordable place you can find, and fast before the sh** hits the fan and your credit gets hurt by this whole thing.

Answer 12

No, legally she's obligated to pay the rent or find a new person to take her place for the duration of the lease. I'd suggest looking for a new roommate yourself, so that you don't end up w/ someone you don't know and can't live with.

Answer 13

Are you also on the lease? If not, its all her responsibility!

Answer 14

She is still required to pay, Just because your not living there anymore doesnt mean you cant pay if you signed a contract. She owes you the other half of the money.

Answer 15

did you sign anything at all or was it just her? if you didn't sign anything, you are not responsible for anything. she has to contact the apartment office and let them know what's going on. if you did sign something, call them and discuss the situation.

Answer 16

Well, sorry but you can't do much. Work hard, get a good job, and you'll make it. Get a loan because it sounds like you need it. If you keep your grades up you'll pay it off in time. Plus, they're tax deductable!

Answer 17

If her name is on the lease she's responsible for half of your rent.  However, the bad part is that you will have to go to court to get the money.  :(  Friend?

Answer 18

If her name was on the lease and she signed it, you two are both responsible for it. (Assuming you signed it too)  However, if you read your paperwork carefully, you will probably find where it says that if one person fails to meet their obligation, the other person must pick up the slack. (That would be you)

If you can't afford the rent, you should go talk to the landlord as soon as possible.  Explain that your roomy backed out.  They may charge you a fee for backing out, which you can try to collect from your "friend" in small-claims court, but you will still have to pay it.  You may also have to pay the full rent until the landlord can find another tenant.

You could also ask the landlord if they know of someone looking for a roommate.  They may have someone else in a similar situation, and the landlord would rather have one rented apartment than two empty ones.

Now, if you never signed the lease and your name is not on it, you are not responsible for any part of the rent or fees.  Go to the landlord anyway and ask if someone needs a roommate.  I'm sure they would be willing to set you up with them. Good luck!

Answer 19

She's legally responsible for half of the rent. Take her to court.