my roommates aren't paying rent

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>In the middle of February I decided to not pay the March rent for my roommates. Between the three of them they owe me over $2000. So, I told them I wasn't going to pay the March rent and that they would need to figure out among themselves how to pay. Individually, they all owe more than enough to cover my share of the rent, so I gave them the added task of figuring out how to pay my share too. Well, its now March 14th, the rent was due on the first, and no one has paid it. </p>

<p>I told the landlord that I didn't have money to pay the rent some around the first. He said he would give us until the 6th to pay it, but my roommates never did. In fact, they all went on springbreak without even talking about how they were going to figure this out. </p>

<p>The reason I did this is because I'm was starting to doubt very much whether they are going to pay me back. One my roommates doesn't have a job and isn't in school right now. He was supposed to take the fall semester off to go on hormones. He is trans (female becoming a male). He ended up getting a girlfriend and now nothing else really matters. He acts like he is incredibly busy all the time hanging out with her. I'm pretty sure he is going to take next semester off too. He lied to one of our close friends about how much money he actually owes me. There are four of us in my group of close friends and I thought we had no secrets. He has done some other things that have really made the rest of us question who he is.</p>

<p>Another roommate supposedly has money problems right now. He doesn't really have a job either. He tutors maybe one or two nights a week for 2 hours, but he only gets paid like $10/hour. He also doesn't sleep in his bedroom anymore and sleeps in the living room on the couch, because of which he turns the heat way up. Our last gas bill was $400. He also gets annoyed if you wake up him in the morning.</p>

<p>My last roommate seems to be the only one to somewhat regularly pay rent, but thats all he pays. He has never paid for utilities. He will give me the bare minimum to cover his share of the rent and thats it. It wouldn't be a problem if we weren't getting $400 gas bills and stuff all the time. </p>

<p>The other problem is that the last time I talked to the landlord he asked us if we were going to renew the lease because it ends on June 1st, and he said its getting to sign new people if we aren't. I told him I don't plan on living here next year (mostly because the apartment is ****, but the rent is the by far the cheapest out of all off campus apartments). He said he would pay me if I found people to live here next year, but after talking to my roommates I found out that one of them will be graduating, the other will be staying for grad school, and the last one wants to live here next year. The problem is that they only have two people to renew the lease, and haven't started looking for roommates. I know some kids who are interested in living here and have enough people to sign the lease. </p>

<p>Having talked to my landlord in the past about my roommates and how we pay the bills. He said he doesn't understand why roommates decided to live in an apartment if they didn't know how they were going to pay for it, especially the one without a job who isn't in school right now. </p>

<p>I think I'm just not going to pay the April rent either. Its the last month we have to pay rent, since our security deposit covers the May rent. Maybe I'll even disable the internet too.</p>

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<p>You realize you’re risking YOU getting in trouble by not paying your share of the rent, right? Even if they do owe you money, that’s none of your landlords concern.</p>

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<p>Get better roommates. You should pick roommates who aren’t close friends, just someone you can get along with without messing with each others businesses. Act like an adult, this isn’t a sleepover with your friends. Youre less likely to loan money to someone you do not know that well.</p>

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<p>Just pay your share of the rent. Better than nothing…</p>

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<p>I went through a similar situation, but with nine roommates and a bunch of other freeloaders. If you can manage to pay your portion of the rent, I think you should, if only to show the landlord that you’re making an effort to not screw anybody over. It would really suck to get evicted and have that follow you around. You definitely shouldn’t lend any of your “friends” any other money or front them for utilities if you can help it.</p>

<p>I’d never live with close friends again, for exactly this kind of reason. It’s much more disappointing when friends turn out to be disrespectful.</p>

6

<p>If this is not a ■■■■■ post, which it does not appear to be, it has the makings of a novel. These people are not your friends if they are not paying their way. In whose name is the lease? Did anyone’s parents also sign as a guarantor? If just yours, you have the worst possible problem because the landlord will look solely to you to pay the rent for the rest of the term of the lease – anything not yet paid and anything that will become due between now and June. Moreover, if he evicts you he can still sue you for all amounts owed for the rest of the lease term --eviction does not mean you escape what is owed on the lease. </p>

<p>You are not much better off if the lease is in all of your names. The landlord can still evict you and come after whomever he chooses for any amounts owed but at least then he might choose going after all.</p>

<p>Hopefully, your parents did not guarantee the lease because if they did, the landlord can come after them for all amounts owed.</p>

<p>If the landlord evicts you, you may not be able to get another lease elsewhere – one of the questions a new potential landlord will ask is whether you have previously been evicted or failed to pay rent and you won’t get another lease soon if you have to answer yes.</p>

<p>Your paying only part of the rent does nothing to prevent eviction. The landlord is entitled to all the rent and he can evict if it is not paid. If you cannot get the deadbeats to pay. you will need to find a way out of this mess such as going to the landlord, offering to pay him some money to release you personally from the lease with you then moving out if you can find somewhere else to live, leaving the deadbeats holding the bag (and if you do that make sure you get your name off all utilities also by cancelling them if need be).</p>

7

<p>beat the **** out of each and every one of them.</p>

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<p>We don’t have a guarantor. We all signed the lease. We aren’t going to get evicted. Our landlord only rents to college students has dealt with this before. The kids who live on the floor above us stopped paying rent too. He told me that after he visited them he left with $1500. </p>

<p>Anyway, my roommates approached me today. They said they are going to pay the rent tomorrow. One of them is going to cover my share. They are waiting for one kid to get money. He told me he was going home over spring break to get money, but now he told the rest of them that his mom is going to give him money tomorrow. </p>

<p>I’m only really friends with two of the kids I live with. The third kid I didn’t know until he moved in. He is also the one who has been paying rent somewhat regularly. </p>

<p>April is the last month we have to pay rent. Our security deposit covers May’s rent and our lease ends on May 31st. </p>

<p>The reason I did this is because if my roommates end up not paying what they owe then it is better if I try to minimize my loses as much as possible. Paying the rent for them is only going to add to my loses. My landlord is a nice guy. I’m not worried about getting in trouble with him. I have paid the rent on time every month since we moved in.</p>

<p>There was only one month he thought I didn’t pay the rent. I asked one of my roommates to drop off the check at the landlord’s office, and he said he did, but the landlord called at the end of the month asking why we never paid rent. I told him that I gave the check to one of my roommates to drop off. He looked for the check, I called the bank. It was never cashed, and my roommate swore he dropped it off. The landlord just told me to write another check.</p>

<p>Honestly though, I am done with living in an apartment with other people. If I ever live in an apartment after school, I plan on getting a studio apartment.</p>

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<p>The way you’re handling this, I think, is really immature. You made a mistake and loaned out money irresponsibly and you’re putting your landlord on the spot to cover your own ass. Your roommates owe you money. Well, now you owe your landlord money-- not them, you. Your bad loan to your roommates has nothing to do with your landlord. If your landlord lets you get away with it then I guess you’re in the clear, but I’d think twice before you do something like this again because you’re lucky the landlord isn’t going to throw you out on your ass for dragging him into your personal business. Involving your landlord in this is childish.</p>

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<p>honestly you have to stop playing the nice guy I can see you’re trying to find a win-win situation but honestly it’s time that you become more assertive with your roommates, you have to show them that your not someone to be pushed over</p>

<p>give the dates to pay the bills, tell them what they need to cover, and follow up with them. if they can’t do that then they need to move out because as of right now you have put yourself in a situation where you are now stuck with rent that’s overdue and not been paid for</p>

<p>your lucky enough that you have a landlord who is willing to work with you but it’s still not right you should have stopped this from day one when you realized it was going to be a problem maybe then you wouldn’t be in this predicament </p>

<p>i say just pay the rent and just go on it’s a lesson learned</p>

<p>word of advice if you ever ever try to rent an apartment with friends again lay down some ground rules, be assertive, and if you want try doing a trial period and see how it goes from there</p>

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<p>If they don’t pay take them to small claims court. Most universities also provide some free legal council to students.</p>

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<p>I don’t think I am the one putting the landlord on the spot. I told my roommates multiple times starting in the middle of february this was coming. I didn’t randomly decide on march 1st to do this. They were the ones who chose not to do anything about this until now. </p>

<p>Also, as for why I have been paying their rent. It seems to be fairly common practice at my school to have 1 person pay the rent and utilities and everyone else pay that person. At least thats what all my other friends who live off campus do. None of them have had this problem though.</p>

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<p><a href=“http://static.divbyzero.nl/facepalm/doublefacepalm.jpg[/url]”>http://static.divbyzero.nl/facepalm/doublefacepalm.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Better advice: Move out.</p>

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<p>^^^^ How was my comment a fail? That’s the only way he’s going to get any money back from his roommates. I offered him practical advice that is bound to work, whereas you guys are telling him to do things that his roommates would probably just ignore.</p>

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<p><a href=“http://static.divbyzero.nl/facepalm/doublefacepalm.jpg[/url]”>http://static.divbyzero.nl/facepalm/doublefacepalm.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Don’t forget that this may and probably will affect your credit report, which prospective employers view, as well as insurance agencies when they set your rates.</p>

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<p>How?</p>

<p>My landlord only takes cash or checks.</p>

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<p>… It isn’t only credit cards that affect your credit report. Landlords are fully able to report delinquent tenants to the credit bureau. Most any debts you incur can screw your credit score.</p>

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<p>In addition, if you ever need car insurance, your rates are based upon your credit report. And, any future employers will look at your credit report. A poor report harms your chances of being hired.</p>

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<p>“How was my comment a fail? That’s the only way he’s going to get any money back from his roommates. I offered him practical advice that is bound to work, whereas you guys are telling him to do things that his roommates would probably just ignore.”</p>

<p>Yes beating the **** out of your two roommates would totally work. You might get arrested and they can sue you for every penny you got, but other than that, seems like a very good idea to me. After that they should have the money to pay rent, you might get thrown out of the apartment, but they still have the money.</p>

<p>OP next time you are sharing an apartment with people, lay out a written contract.</p>