my brother rented a room in an apartment that already had a couple residing in the other room. my brother signed an agreement that stated that rent was 1200 a month but the agreement also included the other tenants names and s.s.n. there was a verbal agreement that my brother would pay $550 a month. last month the other tenants moved w/o notice. my brother paid his part of the rent but now the landlord is stating that he owes the whole 1200 due to the facts that the other tenants moved out. i could understand why she would say that if they had all signed the lease together and agreed that they were renting the whole house together. the land lord claims that she " does not rent out rooms". but if she already had tenants in the other room and moved my brother in to the other room w/o any consent from the other tenants, wouldnt that be considered renting out rooms? my brother is not willing or able to pay the whole amount so the landlord gave him a 14 day eviction notice which is up on monday. this cant be lagal, right?
Submitted by jess32210 on Fri, 03/12/2010 - 23:20
Editor's Response
The answer to your question will depend on what, exactly, your brother signed. If he signed a lease along with other tenants for one unit (in which all of the parties are listed as tenants), then he may be responsible under the doctrine of joint and several liability. If he signed some form a separate agreement, then the landlord would have a difficult time collecting all of the rent from him.