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is my roommate legally obligated to pay this october's rent when he is breaking the lease?
Seattle, WA
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Posted 2 months ago in Contracts / Agreements
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he is adamant that he does not owe me october's rent when he informed me he was moving out halfway through september, on the grounds that i deceived him when paying an electricity bill earlier in may of this year, but even after that he signed a new lease with me. i am very worried about this and he told me that it's legal to break the lease under those hostile living conditions. i was the sole payer of all the bills, electricity, cable, internet and rent and just collected the money from him periodically. he says he's going to try and find a replacement roommate for me by the first of this month so he doesn't have to pay me anything. someone please help me here, he also says he's getting this advice from a lawyer.
Answers (1)
Valerie Ann Farris
This attorney is licensed in Washington.
Posted 16 days ago.
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Without reviewing the lease I can't give you a definitive answer. However, if your roommate is an actual signor on the lease, he is likely obligated to pay rent TO THE LANDLORD. If you are the landlord, you may have options for collecting unpaid rent under your lease agreement. You should take the lease to an attorney to discuss those options.
If you are both co-signors on the lease, it most likely contains a provision that allows the landlord to go after either of you for the full amount of the rent, which would then leave you holding the bag if your roommate does not pay. You would then have to explore your options for recovering against him. Again, in order to find specific answers to your questions, you will need to have an attorney review your lease agreement and brought up to speed on the factual background. |
