my roommate is selling drugs

[glsinsa]

What is the name of your state? FL

Help! I have signed a 10 month lease to rent a room in a house from a girl I knew in high school - her dad bought and renovated the house. There are 4 of us who are living in the house going to college. Two of us are on scholarships.
The problems started on day one, she and her boyfriend smoke pot - constantly. I thought I could deal with it, but then her druggie friends started hanging out and partying until 3 or 4 in the morning. She never goes to class and is always high. The only place I can go in the house is my room because there are always at least 6-8 people hanging out and doing drugs although the lease I signed says I am to have full use of the house.
She recently started selling drugs from the house and told me that she's so lucky because she gets her drugs for free. Her dad calls 5 times a day and asks what the thermostat is set on because he said we are keeping the a/c too cool. We aren't but she opens the windows to let all the smoke out and that makes the a/c come on. When I called her father about a different problem, he told me to talk to his daughter. When I did, she yelled at me and told me never to call her father again "he's a busy man."
The last straw happened last week when I was woken up at 5:00 a.m. by a complete stranger who in my room - he was looking for her room.
I attend a small private college (fewer than 2000 students) that has a zero tolerance policy for drugs. Everyone knows everyone. Any person who is found with drugs will be kicked out of school. I can't afford to lose my scholarship and I don't want to be associated with the types of activities that are going on in my house all day and night.
Can I break my lease and move out of this house - I can't take it anymore!What is the name of your state?

 

[gawm]

If you can prove this in court then yes you can break your lease.

 

[Who's Liable?]

If you can prove this in court then yes you can break your lease.

What kind of crappy advice is that? If you're going to give advice, at least post something useful. A lease CANNOT be broken if someone else in the household breaks the law. UNLESS specifically written in the lease. A roommates criminal behavior does NOT nullify your legal financial obligation .

The OP needs to do several things: 1.) Inform the LL(roommates father) that they are using drugs, and they are expeected to do something. Do this in WRITING. send a CRR letter to him. 2.) Inform the police of the illegal drug activity. Put a lock on the door, and call the police when the roommates are toking. Make sure to be conviently out of the house.

What does your lease say about ending and early termination?

 

[gawm]

What kind of crappy advice is that? If you're going to give advice, at least post something useful. A lease CANNOT be broken if someone else in the household breaks the law. UNLESS specifically written in the lease. A roommates criminal behavior does NOT nullify your legal financial obligation .

The OP needs to do several things: 1.) Inform the LL(roommates father) that they are using drugs, and they are expeected to do something. Do this in WRITING. send a CRR letter to him. 2.) Inform the police of the illegal drug activity. Put a lock on the door, and call the police when the roommates are toking. Make sure to be conviently out of the house.

What does your lease say about ending and early termination?

OP stated the LL is the girl, not the father. The father owns the house but the girl is the LL. When she tried to contact father he referred her to his daughter. When a roommate is also the LL and they are causing an intolerable living environment and doing things that are illegal, I think she has every right to break the lease.

And as far as my crappy advice goes, here is something you may find "useful"; Use spellcheck when you post replies.

 

[BL]

OP stated the LL is the girl, not the father. The father owns the house but the girl is the LL. When she tried to contact father he referred her to his daughter. When a roommate is also the LL and they are causing an intolerable living environment and doing things that are illegal, I think she has every right to break the lease.

And as far as my crappy advice goes, here is something you may find "useful"; Use spellcheck when you post replies.

And calling the Police was good advice when the drug use is in progress , and to be elsewhere .

There HAS to be PROOF . In some jurisdictions the home could be shut down for drug activities , so why wouldn't it be wise to inform the owner ?

 

[Who's Liable?]

OP stated the LL is the girl, not the father. The father owns the house but the girl is the LL. When she tried to contact father he referred her to his daughter. When a roommate is also the LL and they are causing an intolerable living environment and doing things that are illegal, I think she has every right to break the lease.

again, that is where your bad advice is coming from... Just because YOU THINK they have every right to break a lease, DOES NOT make it legal...

If that were the case, everyone who had a lease would be breaking it because they "think" they can, while not backing it up with a VALID LEGAL reason...

The roommates or LL, doesn't matter whom, committing a crime DOES NOT give the tenant a LEGAL reason to break a lease...

 

[glsinsa]

The OP needs to do several things: 1.) Inform the LL(roommates father) that they are using drugs, and they are expeected to do something. Do this in WRITING. send a CRR letter to him. 2.) Inform the police of the illegal drug activity. Put a lock on the door, and call the police when the roommates are toking. Make sure to be conviently out of the house.


Thank you for your response. It was very helpful. My parents did send a certified letter to her father and call the police. The police wanted to know if we were filing a complaint. They did not - instead they told them about the drug activity in a rental house on the street and said they would call back if they wanted to file a complaint. If we file a complaint, she gets arrested and kicked out of college. I moved out yesterday. Drugged out strangers knocking on the door and hanging out partying all night got to be too much. I do have photos of the drug use going on, and she tried to sell drugs to my 14 year old sister when she came to visit. The lease does not have an early termination clause but it does say that no smoking of any kind was allowed. I would appreciate any further advice about what we might expect from her father in the coming days. Thanks!

 

[Who's Liable?]

The main thing you need to do is protect yourself. You need to distance yourself from the drug activities, because I can guarantee you that your roommates would point the finger at you should they get caught.Your roommate freaking out on you when you informed her of your conversation with her dad only goes to show she is afraid she will get caught.
You need to write down the time, date and place where all the drug activities took place. As well as all the times and dates you informed the police and the father of your concerns. This will support your claim in court should it proceed that far.
As for the lease, you will still need to fulfill the terms of the lease. You will be financially liable for the amount of time you do not stay there regardless of what happens to your roommate. You may be able to make a deal with the father for financial release. Do it in writing!
All your conversations with the father(LL) need to be in writing. It will create a paper trail that may help you in the future. Send him a forwarding address ASAP and inform him that all future communications need to be sent to that address, and it is his responsibility to send all communications there. Send the letter CRR and keep a copy of it.

It is a lot to do, but drug related charges against you when you know you are innocent is worse.