Apartment troubles

[rodgeam]

6 months ago I moved into a friend of a friend's apartment because I needed a new place to live and he wanted to live in a house with his friends (also cheaper rent for him). Before I moved he told me I could bring my dog and cats (one of the most important factors for me) and that he wasn't really sure when the lease ends. We didn't change anything into my name or sign a sublease contract, which could have gotten us in trouble if the landlord found out. After I moved in he told me pets were not allowed so they couldn't come and the lease runs til "may or august". I snuck my dog in anyway because I would have just left then if she couldn't stay with me. He then told me I owed him rent for that month since he'd already paid it, even though I lived there less than 2 weeks that month and had already paid rent where I was living before.

So 6 months went by and I got an offer to move in with one of my best friends and all I would have to pay is 1/2 the power bill (no rent, plus it's pet friendly). I jumped at the chance and moved in. I paid rent (plus power bill) at the apt for the rest of the month I didn't live there plus another whole month. I also paid the $100 fee for the realty (after a 3 week delay waiting on him to call them) to begin searching for a subleaser and placed an ad which I have gotten a lot of responses from. However, he still has a lot of stuff in the apt he never moved out and apparently expects me to do something with (he's moved back home, about 2 hours away). And I can't do anything about subleasing without him since the lease is still in his name. I never signed anything. I was talking to a friend of mine about it and she said I've done everything I can and more than enough, it's in his name and his responsibility, and he needs to own up to. She told me to just put the key in the mail to him and write him a note thanking him for letting me live there and tell him I'm praying for him and I hope he finds a good person to sublease to and that I'll send all the potentials I've already gotten in his direction.

Rent is due again next week, and I hate to leave anybody hanging like this, but I don't know what else to do. Does her plan sound reasonable?

 

[Arclight610]

Her plan sounds good to go. You're moving out, so it's on him now.

 

[Nabik33]

As long as you have made your best efforts to try and do right about this and he wont help you out with this then its all on him and your plan sounds like it should do just fine. hope everything works out fine and I will be praying for you.

 

[Inkachu]

Yup, he knew he was leaving all his stuff there. If he doesn't come back for it, oh well. You've done all you can do.

This is why you never just 'move in' with somebody into a rental situation! Always make sure you get a lease or get your name on the lease somehow, or you will have zero rights if something goes wrong, PLUS you may get stuck with bills or other trouble if the other person just vanishes and they find YOU living there. Not to mention, it's just plain dishonest to live under someone else's lease without informing the landlord.

 

[Balugon]

i dont know much about the agreements of a lease, but if the rent is due for a month that no one will even be living there, thats his responsibility. Especially because its his lease. informing him of the info u have and the overall situation (its his lease, he knew it was a contract for money for a period of time before he signed it) is what i would do. If he wants to break it or whatever, it would be no different than if he moved back home after living alone in the place the whole time. He would still have to go thru the proper legal stuff.

But yea, dont be surprised if he gets agitated or something, sometimes people are ignorant of financial responsibility. Its something he needs to get educated on to protect him in future matters. Reminds me of something Judge Judy would comment on, heheh.

And about his stuff, unless its items u were using, like a microwave or something, thats entirely on him. He needs to not be lazy and come pick it up. If it was something u continued to use regularly, might want to take it to the new apartment and tell him he can pick it up there (if ur worried something could happen to it, otherwise leave it there).

 

[rodgeam]

i dont know much about the agreements of a lease, but if the rent is due for a month that no one will even be living there, thats his responsibility. Especially because its his lease. informing him of the info u have and the overall situation (its his lease, he knew it was a contract for money for a period of time before he signed it) is what i would do. If he wants to break it or whatever, it would be no different than if he moved back home after living alone in the place the whole time. He would still have to go thru the proper legal stuff.

But yea, dont be surprised if he gets agitated or something, sometimes people are ignorant of financial responsibility. Its something he needs to get educated on to protect him in future matters. Reminds me of something Judge Judy would comment on, heheh.

And about his stuff, unless its items u were using, like a microwave or something, thats entirely on him. He needs to not be lazy and come pick it up. If it was something u continued to use regularly, might want to take it to the new apartment and tell him he can pick it up there (if ur worried something could happen to it, otherwise leave it there).

No it's just his clothes and random stuff of his like a family portrait... Thanks for the replies. I sent him the note and mailed the key. He's been bombarding my phone all day. I wouldn't answer his calls due to being in class so he sent me a ton of texts cussing me out, saying I owe rent for April, and that he is mailing the key back to me because he doesn't have time to come down and show the apt to subleasers.

 

[rodgeam]

i dont know much about the agreements of a lease, but if the rent is due for a month that no one will even be living there, thats his responsibility. Especially because its his lease. informing him of the info u have and the overall situation (its his lease, he knew it was a contract for money for a period of time before he signed it) is what i would do. If he wants to break it or whatever, it would be no different than if he moved back home after living alone in the place the whole time. He would still have to go thru the proper legal stuff.

But yea, dont be surprised if he gets agitated or something, sometimes people are ignorant of financial responsibility. Its something he needs to get educated on to protect him in future matters. Reminds me of something Judge Judy would comment on, heheh.

And about his stuff, unless its items u were using, like a microwave or something, thats entirely on him. He needs to not be lazy and come pick it up. If it was something u continued to use regularly, might want to take it to the new apartment and tell him he can pick it up there (if ur worried something could happen to it, otherwise leave it there).

No it's just his clothes and random stuff of his like a family portrait... Thanks for the replies. I sent him the note and mailed the key. He's been bombarding my phone all day. I wouldn't answer his calls due to being in class so he sent me a ton of texts cussing me out, saying I owe rent for April, and that he is mailing the key back to me because he doesn't have time to come down and show the apt to subleasers.

 

[Mark2010]

Yup, he knew he was leaving all his stuff there. If he doesn't come back for it, oh well. You've done all you can do.

This is why you never just 'move in' with somebody into a rental situation! Always make sure you get a lease or get your name on the lease somehow, or you will have zero rights if something goes wrong, PLUS you may get stuck with bills or other trouble if the other person just vanishes and they find YOU living there. Not to mention, it's just plain dishonest to live under someone else's lease without informing the landlord.

Agreed. Never move into a place that you don't own without some written agreement first.

I've seen all sorts of friendships end over disagreements about who should pay what. Most apartments I have lived at have strict policies regarding who can and cannot live in a unit anyway. So for him to move out and you to move in without a landlord's approval was wrong to begin with. Ditto for "sneaking" in a pet to a place that you knew frowned on such.

I would suggest getting out now and not repeating this sort of thing again.

 

[country woman]

I agree with what Mark said. you were sneaky