Apartment Advice Please

Parent Cafe
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<p>Hello. So I’ve had an ongoing issue with my apartment. I have lived there since September 2008, and it is a three-bedroom. After one year, one of my roommates decided to leave. The other roommate and I wanted to stay, and the landlord suggested that we sign the lease and then find a roommate instead of the reverse. (BAD idea. In the future I will not do things like that). </p>

<p>We found a roommate very shortly before 9/1, and she actually ended up paying September rent but not the last month’s rent and then disappearing (code for moving back home). She wasn’t even going to say anything to us, I only found that out from her ex-girlfriend. She left stuff here, and she doesn’t really seem to care. After she left, we found out that she hadn’t actually submitted her copy of the lease. (I had asked my landlord to let me know if there were any issues with her lease application and he never contacted me, which made me think it was fine). We actually have the lease – she had left it in her room. </p>

<p>Since then, my other roommate and I have been splitting the full cost of the apartment. It’s way more than we want to pay financially and we can’t seem to see a way out of it. In this state, there is no clause for getting out of a lease and you are liable for the full rent. I’m wondering if it’s worth trying to appeal to our landlord’s good nature and see if he’ll just let us out. We have been searching and advertising and trying to find somebody and been totally unsuccessful thus far. We’re both college students, we could find other places to live that we can afford, and this is getting ridiculous. Do you think it’s even worth bringing up to the landlord or should we just increase or efforts?</p>

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<p>I would contact the invisible roomie in writing (get a post office record that it was sent) and request her portion of the rent. I am assuming the lease you found was signed. And she did move in. Give her a certain amount of time to respond and then pursue small claims court (you should be able to do that without a lawyer). I have no idea if any of this is possible, but check it out. Perhaps if there is a potential judgment against her, it could negatively impact her credit. Depending on the laws where you are, if you point that out perhaps she will pay (at least part). </p>

<p>In terms of the landlord I think that you don’t really have any ground to stand on. I would chalk it up to experience. You can try to talk to him and explain your side of the story, but if he was successful in getting you to sign before you had a third roomie locked in then I believe you are liable for the rent. Does the contract say it is void unless a third person signs? I doubt it. You and the other present roomie put yourselves on the hook for the full rent, and accepted responsibility for finding a third, when you signed. Maybe your landlord is a saint? A really good person? You should try and talk to him - how can it hurt? I would not expect anything, though. Also try to negotiate at least a reduction (but don’t be surprised if you get nothing).</p>

<p>Sorry this happened to you. All in all, it is an inexpensive lesson. It may not seem that way now, but it is.</p>

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<p>Have you considered filling the third room by offering it at a heavily discounted price? Any amount you can get will be better than nothing.</p>