3. THE BAD ROOMMATE Your roommate has turned out to be your nightmare. He has noisy parties at your apartment every weekend and never cleans up. He eats all the food you buy and is always late with his share of the rent. His jobless brother came for a one-week visit in September and has never left. And he's bought a puppy, which he has neglected to housebreak. When you try to talk about it, he gets angry and says it's your problem, not his. You both signed the lease, but you can't stand living with him anymore. When two roommates aren't getting along, by far the best solution is for one of them to move out and for the remaining roommate to find a new roommate. If the two of you can agree to this arrangement, most landlords will let the one who is leaving off the lease and the new roommate sign on. If this isn't possible, read on. This is the most difficult renter's problem because you are dealing with two contracts, not just one. The first contract is the lease between you and your landlord. The second contract is the agreement between you and your roommate. We'll discuss the roommate agreement first. You and your roommate may have signed a written agreement, or you may have a verbal agreement. In either case, you have a contract with each other. A verbal contract is just as binding as a written one, but its terms may be more difficult to prove. Even if the two of you never expressly agreed to anything, but signed a lease, there is an implied agreement that you are going to live together and share the rent until the lease is up. Really Helpful Hint: Get a written agreement with your roommates when you first move in together about when rent is paid, who pays utilities, who is responsible for various household duties, etc. This is the number one cause of housing issues. It is best to try to work things out by
3. THE BAD ROOMMATE Your roommate has turned out to be your nightmare. He has noisy parties at your apartment every weekend and never cleans up. He eats all the food you buy and is always late with his share of the rent. His jobless brother came for a one-week visit in September and has never left. And he's bought a puppy, which he has neglected to housebreak. When you try to talk about it, he gets angry and says it's your problem, not his. You both signed the lease, but you can't stand living with him anymore. When two roommates aren't getting along, by far the best solution is for one of them to move out and for the remaining roommate to find a new roommate. If the two of you can agree to this arrangement, most landlords will let the one who is leaving off the lease and the new roommate sign on. If this isn't possible, read on. This is the most difficult renter's problem because you are dealing with two contracts, not just one. The first contract is the lease between you and your landlord. The second contract is the agreement between you and your roommate. We'll discuss the roommate agreement first. You and your roommate may have signed a written agreement, or you may have a verbal agreement. In either case, you have a contract with each other. A verbal contract is just as binding as a written one, but its terms may be more difficult to prove. Even if the two of you never expressly agreed to anything, but signed a lease, there is an implied agreement that you are going to live together and share the rent until the lease is up. Really Helpful Hint: Get a written agreement with your roommates when you first move in together about when rent is paid, who pays utilities, who is responsible for various household duties, etc. This is the number one cause of housing issues. It is best to try to work things out by