What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Oregon
After being in a tight spot with my living situation at the time (June 2015), an acquaintance of mine offered to let me live with her in her one bedroom apartment as long as I paid half of the utilities and half of the rent each month. I asked many times if I should talk to the landlord about being on the lease and paying a deposit, but she told me that she had lived in the same apartments last year with her boyfriend who was not on the lease and the landlord had no issues with it as long as the rent got paid. Well, time went on and we had some very obvious issues. She was always late with rent and bills, was messy and dirty and disrespectful, and didn't respect my privacy or personal space. She has been having money issues for the past few months and suddenly came to me last month (October 2015) and told me that she had been thinking about the deposit and that she wanted me to pay half by the end of that month. I told her there was no way I could have that money ($400) with my current job by the end of the month but I could try to pay it in December. The situation became unbearable and I gave her my 30 days notice, along with the entire month of November's rent on the 1st of November. I decided to move out on the 7th, knowing I couldn't live there any more, and I left her money for the utilities of October that would come this month, along with a pro-rated deposit of $100. She is now harassing me and saying that I owe her the rest of the deposit ($300) although I will not be living there, and she has no intent of giving the money back to me when she moves out, or when the lease gets transferred or what have you. I feel as though I am being extorted for money I don't owe her. There is nothing on paper that said I would pay a deposit, so I'm wondering if she has any stand in court. Am I under any legal obligation to give her the $300?
After being in a tight spot with my living situation at the time (June 2015), an acquaintance of mine offered to let me live with her in her one bedroom apartment as long as I paid half of the utilities and half of the rent each month. I asked many times if I should talk to the landlord about being on the lease and paying a deposit, but she told me that she had lived in the same apartments last year with her boyfriend who was not on the lease and the landlord had no issues with it as long as the rent got paid. Well, time went on and we had some very obvious issues. She was always late with rent and bills, was messy and dirty and disrespectful, and didn't respect my privacy or personal space. She has been having money issues for the past few months and suddenly came to me last month (October 2015) and told me that she had been thinking about the deposit and that she wanted me to pay half by the end of that month. I told her there was no way I could have that money ($400) with my current job by the end of the month but I could try to pay it in December. The situation became unbearable and I gave her my 30 days notice, along with the entire month of November's rent on the 1st of November. I decided to move out on the 7th, knowing I couldn't live there any more, and I left her money for the utilities of October that would come this month, along with a pro-rated deposit of $100. She is now harassing me and saying that I owe her the rest of the deposit ($300) although I will not be living there, and she has no intent of giving the money back to me when she moves out, or when the lease gets transferred or what have you. I feel as though I am being extorted for money I don't owe her. There is nothing on paper that said I would pay a deposit, so I'm wondering if she has any stand in court. Am I under any legal obligation to give her the $300?