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Roommate wants to break lease, but we are on good terms, what should we do?

The_SpaniardThe_Spaniard It's never lupinesIrvine, CaliforniaRegistered User regular
edited May 2012 in Help / Advice Forum
Long story short my boyfriend and I lease a two bedroom apartment with a roommate. The three of us have been living together for about three years on good terms without incident. Now a friend of his just moved into a new place and the rent is higher than he thought it would be, so he needs somebody to move into one of the extra rooms ASAP to help him pay the bills. Our roommate was planning on moving out anyway at the end of this lease period, but this put an extra fire under his butt to move out. He wants to move out in late May, but our lease doesn't end till July 13th. I thought about putting an ad on Craigslist, but who the hell is going to want to take over the last 2 months of a lease for an apartment that's been lived in for years, when they could just walk into the leasing office and get a brand new pristine clean one? Our roommate offered to pay half rent until the lease is up, which is better than nothing, but in a way he's still leaving us twisting if our side of the rent is going to go up by half for the mean time.

Any thoughts? If someone here has gone through, or heard of something similar let me know how you worked it out.

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  • KyouguKyougu Registered User regular
    Talk over any options with your landlord, but if it was me, I would explain to him that if he's moving out he still needs to pay the full amount of his share of rent for the last two months.

    He probably wouldn't agree to it, which at that point I would just bite the bullet, pay for those two months (while keeping all records) then take him to small claims court.

  • DidgeridooDidgeridoo Flighty Dame Registered User regular
    Since you're on good terms, I'd sit the room mate down and explain that you feel he's really putting you and your boyfriend in a terrible position. Then ask him if there's any way that he can pay his full share or wait until the lease is actually up, since you were counting on that income for the full term of the contract, which he signed.

    If he says no, well, you may have to eat that extra cost because realistically it probably wouldn't be worth it to take him to small claims court for a mere two months.

  • EncEnc A Fool with Compassion Pronouns: He, Him, HisRegistered User regular
    Kyougu wrote: »
    Talk over any options with your landlord, but if it was me, I would explain to him that if he's moving out he still needs to pay the full amount of his share of rent for the last two months.

    He probably wouldn't agree to it, which at that point I would just bite the bullet, pay for those two months (while keeping all records) then take him to small claims court.

    Wow, that is escalating really fast. You would take a friend to small claims court just like that?

    First thing you should do is look over your lease and see what provisions, if any, are in there for losing a roommate and or subletting. Also talk with your landlord, specifically about the difficulty you will face in being put into this situation. Depending upon your rapport with the landlord and the market scene in your area, they may be willing to meet you in the middle for the rent situation and drop the second half of the missing roommate's rent for the month and a half he would be out of the apartment.

    Is your lease for each individual on there (such as, rent by the room agreements) or is it a global lease with all parties signed off on it?

    Concerning subletting, Summer is a good time to find a month-long roommate as a lot of students need a place to crash during university closures. It certainly wouldn't be impossible, provided the rent is low enough (if you are charging just the missing holf of the rent, for example, that would probably get you someone fairly quickly). Whether or not you want to live with someone taking up that add is a different question, however.

  • DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    Your roommate is the one breaking this deal, put it on him. He can pay full rent or he can find someone to sublet for him. Make sure he understands that saying, "Well, I'll pay half the rent" is basically just demanding that you pay half his rent.

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  • Dr. FrenchensteinDr. Frenchenstein Registered User regular
    Why does the new person only have to be there for a couple months? are you guys planning on moving out as well? It's pretty shitty of your roommate to not even give you 30 days notice that he's trying to move out. Like Darkewolfe said, it's really on him to cover that rent. since you guys are still friends i'd try and help find a subletter though.

  • mtsmts Dr. Robot King Registered User regular
    yea, while i wouldn't necessarily take him to small claims court, the onus is on him to work it out. he is responsible for the rent for the lease period, so he either needs to find an agreeable sublet, pay the full rent or work out some deal with you and or the landlord. he can't just be like, sorry, lets go halvsies

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  • DivideByZeroDivideByZero Social Justice Blackguard Registered User regular
    What are your plans once the lease is up? Are you going to renew it or move somewhere else? If you were planning on renewing, you may as well start searching for a new roommate now, and explain to prospects that the first two months are a sublet deal (depending on your landlord's policies of course) after which you can get him on the lease for the next year. And your current roommate should be putting in his share of the legwork on this search since he's the one putting you in this position.

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  • amateurhouramateurhour One day I'll be professionalhour The woods somewhere in TennesseeRegistered User regular
    The friend signed a contract, he's on the lease, he can't just cut bait and run, whether he offers to pay half or not. If the friend's name is on the lease, you won't have to worry about taking him to small claims court. The apartment complex is going to do that for you if you can't come up with the rest of the rent on your own, and they'll probably take you as well since they don't see it as "each roommate owes X, so therefore you guys paid but he didn't, so he owes us and not you"

    They see it as "you three owe us X, period..."

    The first thing I would do is talk to your friend and explain that he really needs to stick it out till July. It's two more months. If he's intent on moving in with the other guy, maybe he can help that friend with a few bucks to cover a little bit of the new friend's rent instead of offering you guys half rent.

    If he's dead set on (intentionally or not) dicking you over, you need to talk to your landlord and explain the situation because a) they might not allow sublets without their permission anyway and b) they might be good with keeping you guys in good standing with rent and just having him owe if anything comes up short. Note: I'm not saying screw over the friend, I'm saying he needs to be a part of that discussion with the leasing office as well.

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  • bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    Well technically you're not screwing someone over if they signed a contract. No one is screwing this guy over, they're making him own up to his responsibilities as an adult.

    That said, I'd try to work out a deal with him.

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  • amateurhouramateurhour One day I'll be professionalhour The woods somewhere in TennesseeRegistered User regular
    bowen wrote: »
    Well technically you're not screwing someone over if they signed a contract. No one is screwing this guy over, they're making him own up to his responsibilities as an adult.

    That said, I'd try to work out a deal with him.

    Agreed, I just didn't want it to look like I was saying, "sneak over to the leasing office and tell them this guy is leaving and it's his fault the rent is late" There's obviously better ways to handle the situation.

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  • DarlanDarlan Registered User regular
    edited May 2012
    If he can afford the rent on the new place and and half the current rent, why not ask him to finish the lease and send that extra difference to his stupid friend if he wants to help him out some and not be a gigantic dick?

    What an asshole, I'm getting mad just reading about it.

    Darlan on
  • Eat it You Nasty Pig.Eat it You Nasty Pig. tell homeland security 'we are the bomb'Registered User regular
    edited May 2012
    Wow, that is escalating really fast. You would take a friend to small claims court just like that?

    see, this is why living with friends is a bad idea

    For anybody who might still be on the man but he's your friend kick, ask yourself this: what kind of friend asks a friend to accept a thousand+ dollar liability just so that he can do a favor for a different buddy?

    If you're really good friends and you want to maintain a relationship, I migt take the to "split the difference" deal, assuming you can afford to. I'd only do that for a really close friend though. Whatever you wind up agreeing to with him, make sure you account for any deposit(s) as well.

    ed: I mean if he really wants to help his buddy out, perhaps he should chip in for the rent on his new place, then move there when his current lease has ended.

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  • ThanatosThanatos Registered User regular
    You really need to sit down with him and explain that he needs to pay his full share of the last couple of months of rent, or help you guys to find an acceptable subletter/new roommate. Like others have said, it's not your job to pay for his moving costs (which the extra money for rent is).

    You really don't even need to start thinking about anything like small claims court until you've at least done that.

  • Death of RatsDeath of Rats Registered User regular
    I've been the friend in your situation. And there was never any wavering on my part of paying the full amount of rent until the lease was up. If he's willing to put you and your boyfriend into the awful position of rent going up by a third, it may be time to reevaluate the friendship. Good friends don't do that, and if you talk to him about his responsibility to pay the rest of the rent and he doesn't see that... I'd say small claims court is perfectly justified. Myself, I don't want friends who will screw me over the first chance they get.

    No I don't.
  • FiggyFiggy Fighter of the night man Champion of the sunRegistered User regular
    Aren't you going to be finding a roommate to replace him? Start now. Unless all of you are moving out at the end of your lease, but from your description you and your boyfriend are staying. Your new roommate will just be moving in a bit earlier.

    Sit your current roommate down and say,

    "You signed a lease with us, we all budgeted for our share of the rent, and by you moving out early and leaving us with your share of the rent, you're really screwing us over. We would like your full share of the rent for the remainder of the lease unless you can help us find someone else to replace you."

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  • TheKoolEagleTheKoolEagle Registered User regular
    edited May 2012
    Whenever I've left an apartment with other people on the lease, I've always paid my part if I left early. Why does he think just because he isn't there it means he only needs to pay half of what he usually pays?

    I agree with Eat it you Nasty Pig, if he wants to help his buddy out, chip some money his way until his lease is done, all he is doing now is transferring his buddie's debt to you and that isn't fair to you.

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  • The_SpaniardThe_Spaniard It's never lupines Irvine, CaliforniaRegistered User regular
    edited May 2012
    Some additional info, We split the rent 3 ways, each of us pays 600 bucks. So if someone wanted to spend 600 bucks on an apartment they'd probably just go to the leasing office and get a new one, not take the last 2 months of a lease. You are all making some good points that I will make note off when we all sit down and talk this out. Haven't had a chance to read over half the replies though, getting ready for work and skimmed the thread. I'll give it a more thorough read when I get home.

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  • ThanatosThanatos Registered User regular
    Some additional info, We split the rent 3 ways, each of us pays 600 bucks. So if someone wanted to spend 600 bucks on an apartment they'd probably just go to the leasing office and get a new one, not take the last 2 months of a lease. You are all making some good points that I will make note off when we all sit down and talk this out. Haven't had a chance to read over half the replies though, getting ready for work and skimmed the thread. I'll give it a more thorough read when I get home.
    o_O

    The leasing office is renting apartments for one-third of what you're paying now?

    Why are you paying it, then?

  • amateurhouramateurhour One day I'll be professionalhour The woods somewhere in TennesseeRegistered User regular
    Thanatos wrote: »
    Some additional info, We split the rent 3 ways, each of us pays 600 bucks. So if someone wanted to spend 600 bucks on an apartment they'd probably just go to the leasing office and get a new one, not take the last 2 months of a lease. You are all making some good points that I will make note off when we all sit down and talk this out. Haven't had a chance to read over half the replies though, getting ready for work and skimmed the thread. I'll give it a more thorough read when I get home.
    o_O

    The leasing office is renting apartments for one-third of what you're paying now?

    Why are you paying it, then?

    I think he's referring to the more "college " kind of apartments where they rent out one of three or four rooms in an apartment. You see them online for "rooms starting at $400!" kind of ads.

    You can just walk up and rent a single room as long as you don't mind random roommates.

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  • bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    This is foreign.

    not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
  • jedikuonjijedikuonji Registered User regular
    I had a former roommate move out before the end of the lease. She, however, knew it was her responsibility to take care of her share of the rent however she could. She paid for a month while she moved and used the time to find someone to take over her part of the lease. I'd suggest taking to him and letting him know that he's expected to pay his share of the rent one way or another.

    I'm also curious about how your roommate's friend didn't know what his rent was going to be.

  • NylonathetepNylonathetep Registered User regular
    May - July is Summer school period for College/University student. Someone that needs to do extra courses over the summer might bite. Don't be too optimistic thou.

    Another option: Talk to your landlord if he wants to terminate the lease early, and all three of you move out asap.

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  • DraygoDraygo Registered User regular
    edited May 2012
    Talk to the landlord, if you have been paying on time going on 3 years he might lower your rent for 2 months to $1500 allowing him to pay half. If you are on good terms with your landlord and it isnt some random company in california that owns the property you might have a good chance of it happening. If you have been treating the house well and taking good care of it the better chance you have of getting some sort of deal with the landlord.

    Draygo on
  • The_SpaniardThe_Spaniard It's never lupines Irvine, CaliforniaRegistered User regular
    Draygo wrote: »
    Talk to the landlord, if you have been paying on time going on 3 years he might lower your rent for 2 months to $1500 allowing him to pay half. If you are on good terms with your landlord and it isnt some random company in california that owns the property you might have a good chance of it happening. If you have been treating the house well and taking good care of it the better chance you have of getting some sort of deal with the landlord.
    It actually is a complex owned by the Irvine company.. :(

    Anyway some more info, my boyfriend is currently going to school on his GI bill which runs out in August, and corporate announced that they are closing the store that I work at, so you could imagine that an extra inconsiderate expense like this is the last thing we need. Though let me know what you guys think of this. I've already been told that I'm being transferred and keeping my job, but I'm not supposed to know yet. Would it be wrong to use the fact that I'm not supposed to know yet as a bargaining tool to say, "My boyfriend's GI bill runs out in August, and I might not have a job in a few weeks, this is the last thing we need."

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  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu PIGEON Registered User regular
    Draygo wrote: »
    Talk to the landlord, if you have been paying on time going on 3 years he might lower your rent for 2 months to $1500 allowing him to pay half. If you are on good terms with your landlord and it isnt some random company in california that owns the property you might have a good chance of it happening. If you have been treating the house well and taking good care of it the better chance you have of getting some sort of deal with the landlord.
    It actually is a complex owned by the Irvine company.. :(

    Anyway some more info, my boyfriend is currently going to school on his GI bill which runs out in August, and corporate announced that they are closing the store that I work at, so you could imagine that an extra inconsiderate expense like this is the last thing we need. Though let me know what you guys think of this. I've already been told that I'm being transferred and keeping my job, but I'm not supposed to know yet. Would it be wrong to use the fact that I'm not supposed to know yet as a bargaining tool to say, "My boyfriend's GI bill runs out in August, and I might not have a job in a few weeks, this is the last thing we need."
    Yes, it would be wrong to lie to your friend to get the money your friend owes you. But this is money your friend owes you. If your friend doesn't realize this, then your friend's either very stupid or incredibly callous. If it's just a case of the stupids, then all you need to do is sit him down and explain to him that he can't just bail on the lease. If it's a case of him being a silly goose, then I guess you can start with the threats or whatever. But step one is just to sit down and say "listen, we need you to pay the rent." Don't lie about how much you need him to pay the rent, because it's not like he would owe you less if you had a nice job or owe you more if you actually were getting laid off.

  • Eat it You Nasty Pig.Eat it You Nasty Pig. tell homeland security 'we are the bomb'Registered User regular
    "Bargaining" is the wrong approach to take in this case. If you are prepared to do this guy a thousand dollar favor because you are that close, then that's your choice. Otherwise it's his job to pay the lease he signed.

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  • Jam WarriorJam Warrior Registered User regular
    There should be no need for bargaining. Being friends will mean you are polite whilst you explain to him that you have no intention of covering his financial obligations for him, not that you have to try and sugar coat reality with half truths.

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  • mythagomythago Registered User regular
    What they all said. This is not "bargaining" and you should not think of it that way. Please, please set aside the idea that you owe the roommate some kind of obligation to "be nice" or "meet him halfway". This is a business arrangement, separate from any friendship. This is also not a situation where the roommate has fallen on hard times (medical emergency, say) that makes it difficult for him to pay his share.

    The roommate owes you the last two months of the lease in rent. He can either:

    1) Pay you directly, as he was doing in the first place
    2) Find an appropriate subletter to assume the obligation of rent for him.

    You need to be very clear with him about this. It sounds, from your post, as though the roommate is playing on his friendship with you to guilt you into "compromising". Please keep in mind that the bottom line is this: he is doing a favor for HIS friend, and expecting YOU to subsidize it. That's complete bullshit.

    (Also, frankly, I would guess that the "rent is higher than he thought it would be" is also complete bullshit. How does that even happen? The guy moved in and suddenly the landlord illegally jacked up the rent? No, I suspect your roommate just wants to move in with his friend early, and has manufactured the 'poor guy needs money' excuse so he can stick you with the rent.)

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  • MushroomStickMushroomStick Registered User regular
    Draygo wrote: »
    Talk to the landlord, if you have been paying on time going on 3 years he might lower your rent for 2 months to $1500 allowing him to pay half. If you are on good terms with your landlord and it isnt some random company in california that owns the property you might have a good chance of it happening. If you have been treating the house well and taking good care of it the better chance you have of getting some sort of deal with the landlord.
    It actually is a complex owned by the Irvine company.. :(

    Anyway some more info, my boyfriend is currently going to school on his GI bill which runs out in August, and corporate announced that they are closing the store that I work at, so you could imagine that an extra inconsiderate expense like this is the last thing we need. Though let me know what you guys think of this. I've already been told that I'm being transferred and keeping my job, but I'm not supposed to know yet. Would it be wrong to use the fact that I'm not supposed to know yet as a bargaining tool to say, "My boyfriend's GI bill runs out in August, and I might not have a job in a few weeks, this is the last thing we need."
    Yes, it would be wrong to lie to your friend to get the money your friend owes you. But this is money your friend owes you. If your friend doesn't realize this, then your friend's either very stupid or incredibly callous. If it's just a case of the stupids, then all you need to do is sit him down and explain to him that he can't just bail on the lease. If it's a case of him being a silly goose, then I guess you can start with the threats or whatever. But step one is just to sit down and say "listen, we need you to pay the rent." Don't lie about how much you need him to pay the rent, because it's not like he would owe you less if you had a nice job or owe you more if you actually were getting laid off.

    Don't assume that being told you're getting transferred to another store, but don't tell anyone because you're totally not supposed to know yet, means anything until you've actually gotten the transfer. Lots of people get told stuff like that to keep them from blowing off the place before the end.

  • ThanatosThanatos Registered User regular
    Draygo wrote: »
    Talk to the landlord, if you have been paying on time going on 3 years he might lower your rent for 2 months to $1500 allowing him to pay half. If you are on good terms with your landlord and it isnt some random company in california that owns the property you might have a good chance of it happening. If you have been treating the house well and taking good care of it the better chance you have of getting some sort of deal with the landlord.
    It actually is a complex owned by the Irvine company.. :(

    Anyway some more info, my boyfriend is currently going to school on his GI bill which runs out in August, and corporate announced that they are closing the store that I work at, so you could imagine that an extra inconsiderate expense like this is the last thing we need. Though let me know what you guys think of this. I've already been told that I'm being transferred and keeping my job, but I'm not supposed to know yet. Would it be wrong to use the fact that I'm not supposed to know yet as a bargaining tool to say, "My boyfriend's GI bill runs out in August, and I might not have a job in a few weeks, this is the last thing we need."
    Yes, it would be wrong to lie to your friend to get the money your friend owes you. But this is money your friend owes you. If your friend doesn't realize this, then your friend's either very stupid or incredibly callous. If it's just a case of the stupids, then all you need to do is sit him down and explain to him that he can't just bail on the lease. If it's a case of him being a silly goose, then I guess you can start with the threats or whatever. But step one is just to sit down and say "listen, we need you to pay the rent." Don't lie about how much you need him to pay the rent, because it's not like he would owe you less if you had a nice job or owe you more if you actually were getting laid off.

    Don't assume that being told you're getting transferred to another store, but don't tell anyone because you're totally not supposed to know yet, means anything until you've actually gotten the transfer. Lots of people get told stuff like that to keep them from blowing off the place before the end.
    This. Holy shit this. They are almost certainly feeding you a fucking line. Start looking for another job now.

  • FiggyFiggy Fighter of the night man Champion of the sunRegistered User regular
    I still don't get why finding a new roommate is not an option? The reason someone would want to come to you and pay $600/mo on the last two months of a lease is the reason anyone looks for a place to live. They need a place to stay and they go with what they can afford.

    He can't just pay $600 for an empty apartment because he would need another $1200 to cover the rest. Unless I'm not getting what you're saying. The three of your signed a 1 year, $1800/mo lease together and have been splitting the rent evenly. You aren't each, individually, leased to the landlord for your separate room + common area for $600, right? Because if that were the case, you wouldn't be out the money at all. The third roommate would be dealing with the landlord, instead.

    So, basically, you're looking for someone who needs a place to live for $600. The fact that there is only 2 months on your lease means nothing if you're planning on re-signing another one or going month-to-month. It's not a matter of taking his 600 bucks and going to the office for a "new apartment." He'd need to take his 1800 bucks to get one, right? The office isn't leasing rooms out separately. And if they are, why the hell didn't you take that route instead when you moved in together?

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  • FiggyFiggy Fighter of the night man Champion of the sunRegistered User regular
    edited May 2012
    mythago wrote: »
    (Also, frankly, I would guess that the "rent is higher than he thought it would be" is also complete bullshit. How does that even happen? The guy moved in and suddenly the landlord illegally jacked up the rent? No, I suspect your roommate just wants to move in with his friend early, and has manufactured the 'poor guy needs money' excuse so he can stick you with the rent.)

    This is important. He says the rent was more than he thought? How much is more? Double? So much more that needs another person to live with him and split it? I can see overlooking an extra fee for a parking charge or water heater rental or something, but you're not suddenly paying hundreds more than you thought without realizing it.

    If it's only a hundred more a month or so, you roommate could likely just lend his buddy the money for the next two months until his lease with you is up and then he could move in. Instead, he's letting you fork over the difference. You're not the other guy's friend. You don't owe him any favours, especially when it puts you out $600 over the next two months.

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  • Al_watAl_wat Registered User regular
    Thanatos wrote: »
    Draygo wrote: »
    Talk to the landlord, if you have been paying on time going on 3 years he might lower your rent for 2 months to $1500 allowing him to pay half. If you are on good terms with your landlord and it isnt some random company in california that owns the property you might have a good chance of it happening. If you have been treating the house well and taking good care of it the better chance you have of getting some sort of deal with the landlord.
    It actually is a complex owned by the Irvine company.. :(

    Anyway some more info, my boyfriend is currently going to school on his GI bill which runs out in August, and corporate announced that they are closing the store that I work at, so you could imagine that an extra inconsiderate expense like this is the last thing we need. Though let me know what you guys think of this. I've already been told that I'm being transferred and keeping my job, but I'm not supposed to know yet. Would it be wrong to use the fact that I'm not supposed to know yet as a bargaining tool to say, "My boyfriend's GI bill runs out in August, and I might not have a job in a few weeks, this is the last thing we need."
    Yes, it would be wrong to lie to your friend to get the money your friend owes you. But this is money your friend owes you. If your friend doesn't realize this, then your friend's either very stupid or incredibly callous. If it's just a case of the stupids, then all you need to do is sit him down and explain to him that he can't just bail on the lease. If it's a case of him being a silly goose, then I guess you can start with the threats or whatever. But step one is just to sit down and say "listen, we need you to pay the rent." Don't lie about how much you need him to pay the rent, because it's not like he would owe you less if you had a nice job or owe you more if you actually were getting laid off.

    Don't assume that being told you're getting transferred to another store, but don't tell anyone because you're totally not supposed to know yet, means anything until you've actually gotten the transfer. Lots of people get told stuff like that to keep them from blowing off the place before the end.
    This. Holy shit this. They are almost certainly feeding you a fucking line. Start looking for another job now.

    Yeah I'm looking at this from the same angle. They may not be lying, you might have that job lined up 100%, but until you have signed some kind of contract or gotten some kind of official guarantee the guys word means nothing. I wouldn't plan my finances based on the supposed fact that you are guaranteed the job.

    With that in mind, getting your roommate to keep his end of lease is even more important.

  • mythagomythago Registered User regular
    Figgy wrote: »
    I still don't get why finding a new roommate is not an option?

    In California, leases almost always forbid subletting without the landlord's permission (for obvious reasons).

    Note that the "friend"/roommate is not offering to take care of finding a subletter, getting the landlord's approval, etc.; he's just offering to pay half rent, and The_Spaniard is stuck trying to find a replacement. Screw that.

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  • Blake TBlake T Do you have enemies then? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered User regular
    I think you also need to point out to this friend. The reason why he was asked to move into that place to begin with.

    Because that guy couldn't afford the flat.

    If he leaves your two high and dry he is leaving you guys in the exact same situation. He isn't so much fixing a problem than he is moving it onto you two.

    You just gotta say that this is a cost that you two flat out cannot afford.

  • Blake TBlake T Do you have enemies then? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered User regular
    One option you can suggest but not sort out because remember, this isn't your problem.

    This third guy (your roommate) is willing to chip in an extra three hundred a month for two months. Have him talk to the fourth guy (the one with the overly expensive apartment) and see if he's willing to lower the rent by three hundred for the first two months only. He might say yes because while it's not the full amount it's more than zero and it is a friends thing.

  • FiggyFiggy Fighter of the night man Champion of the sunRegistered User regular
    Blake T wrote: »
    One option you can suggest but not sort out because remember, this isn't your problem.

    This third guy (your roommate) is willing to chip in an extra three hundred a month for two months. Have him talk to the fourth guy (the one with the overly expensive apartment) and see if he's willing to lower the rent by three hundred for the first two months only. He might say yes because while it's not the full amount it's more than zero and it is a friends thing.

    I really, really don't think finances are even an issue here. Think logically about this third party guy: how much could the rent really have jumped that he'd need a roommate to split the rent to afford it? Chances are this guy just really wants to move in with his buddy. He's offering the OP and his boyfriend "just enough" so that they accept and he can hop out of this situation. He's not worried about ruining the relationship there, because he'll never see them again anyway. Half the rent might be just enough so they take the money and let him leave without any fuss.

    Again, Spaniard, you should be trying to find a roommate. It doesn't matter that this guy fucked you over and you totally shouldn't have to deal with that. It is his fault, but it's going to be your problem. Even if you want to take him to small claims, it's going to be many months before you see any of that money and your rent is due on time, every month. The solution that will see you out of pocket the least is finding someone to take his place. Appeal to his morals and make him help you do that, but the bottom line is that you need another roommate. It doesn't matter if there is only two months on your lease. Like I said before, if you're staying anyway, there might as well be 14 months on your lease. Someone is going to need a place to stay who can't afford an entire place. It's why roommates exist in the first place.

    "You're on the hook for the full rent for the remainder of the lease unless you find someone to take your place."

    That's it. Then go and help him look and/or look on your own. Now is not the time to start talking about what ought to happen or what people should have to do in this situation. Now is the time to solve your problem.
    mythago wrote: »
    Figgy wrote: »
    I still don't get why finding a new roommate is not an option?
    In California, leases almost always forbid subletting without the landlord's permission (for obvious reasons).

    Note that the "friend"/roommate is not offering to take care of finding a subletter, getting the landlord's approval, etc.; he's just offering to pay half rent, and The_Spaniard is stuck trying to find a replacement. Screw that.

    So get the landlord's permission. If you tell him your roommate is ditching you and you need to find someone to make up that portion of the rent so you can afford the place, he's not going to deny you. Would he like to be paid his rent on time or not? And yes, Spaniard is stuck finding a replacement. Life isn't fair. "Screw that" is not a solution, it's an emotional response that won't do him any good when the landlord is asking where the rest of the rent is.

    XBL : Figment3 · SteamID : Figment
  • The_SpaniardThe_Spaniard It's never lupines Irvine, CaliforniaRegistered User regular
    Sorry I misspoke in the op, I hadn't just thought about putting something on Craigslist, we actually did put an ad on CL, but we weren't optimistic because of the thought process I gave. I talked to the leasing office yesterday, and they very nicely said there was nothing they could do, I mean they said they would help mediate if anything got ugly, but as far as financial considerations or letting anybody out of their lease early no way. I tried to appeal to them that we had been good tenants for years, but it didn't help.

    I don't know all the specifics of his friends deal, just the mention of it he made. We were trying to exhaust all possible avenues of resolving this situation and avoiding conflict before actually having the serious sit-down with him that had the potential to turn ugly. After talking to all our friends, seeing if any of them were interested in a room, posting an ad on CL, and talking to the leasing office, I am good and ready to have that talk. So in the next day or two, when the three of us are here in the apartment at the same time I'm going to call that meeting.

    Playstation/Origin/GoG: Span_Wolf Xbox/uPlay/Bnet: SpanWolf Nintendo: Span_Wolf SW-7097-4917-9392 Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/id/Span_Wolf/
  • DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    You don't seem to be thinking about it the right way, so make sure you don't stumble over your words.

    He owes you all of the rent for the duration of the lease. That is his debt. He has to pay it. It's his obligation. He can't "offer to pay half." That is him, in fact, asking you if you'll pay half.

    What is this I don't even.
  • amateurhouramateurhour One day I'll be professionalhour The woods somewhere in TennesseeRegistered User regular
    Darkewolfe wrote: »
    You don't seem to be thinking about it the right way, so make sure you don't stumble over your words.

    He owes you all of the rent for the duration of the lease. That is his debt. He has to pay it. It's his obligation. He can't "offer to pay half." That is him, in fact, asking you if you'll pay half.

    This.

    Seriously, this guy is taking the friendship that you seem to cherish for granted. He's asking you to pay about a thousand dollars on his behalf, unless you can magically fix the problem, on your own, by finding a sublet.

    If he doesn't change his mindset when you talk to him, you DO need to take up the apartment's offer to mediate this, depending on what it is. It'll help you in the long run.

    are YOU on the beer list?
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