Vindictive roommate, douchebag landlord

[rozeecheeks]

What is the name of your state? Arizona

This is going to be kind of long, as there's some pertinent background information.

Back in September, my best friend, A, and I decided to rent a house together. We didn't have a whole lot saved up, but for various reasons, we needed to get out of our respective situations. We found the house we wanted and met with the landlords. They loved us and passed up another couple of girls to give us the house. The house has 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom for $975 a month. The deposit was $1500. We were unable to pay that amount upfront, but the landlords were going to allow us to pay it in a few installments, as long as it was paid by December 1st. It should have been no problem. So we moved in October 1st, and our friend P moved in as well to help keep costs down. A and I were the only ones on the lease, as we knew that P would be graduating soon and planned to move back East. The landlords knew this and were okay with it. He'd passed their application process, so it wasn't a problem.

Fast forward to December. I had switched jobs, because I was unhappy where I was at, and it wasn't necessary to stay at a job I hated because I didn't NEED to make that much money anymore. With two people to help pay the bills, I figured I'd be fine making less and I'd still be able to pay my part of the bills. A got fired from her job and was going to be unable to pay rent for January. P was only working part time and we weren't happy living with him (boys are gross), so he decided to move into student housing until he graduated. A and I decided that the best thing would be for her to move in with her boyfriend, and I'd find a new roommate. My friend D said she'd give up her apartment and move in so I wouldn't lose my house. At this point, we hadn't met the deadline for the security deposit. The landlords were being very understanding about the entire situation and had no problem with letting A move out and D take her place. The understanding we had with the landlords was that A would be taken off of the lease completely and D would be put on.

Fast forward again to the middle of March. D and I had been living together since January 1st. In the beginning of February, she decided to move in her 19-year-old daughter and her 2-year-old grandkid. It was supposed to be temporary, but it didn't end up that way. They took over the house entirely. The only reason I put up with it was because her kid was paying 1/3 of the rent and in exchange for not paying utilities, she was going to keep the house clean, since her mother and I didn't have time for it. I was working 2 jobs, so I was gone for 14 hours a day. When I was home, I stayed in my room unless it was absolutely necessary to leave. I was absolutely miserable in my own home. Out of the blue, D decided to move out. I told the landlord what was going on, and it turns out that he never put her on the lease. Why in the world was she not on the lease? Apparently, she didn't pass his credit check, so he didn't want her on the lease. It also turns out that he never removed A from the lease as was the understanding.

Things went downhill from there. D lost her ever-loving mind. She stole my mail, snooped in my chat logs, and destroyed the house when she moved out. I'd been staying with a friend for about a week, because I didn't feel safe in the house with her. The day she moved out, I got a voicemail from her daughter stating that anything wrong with the house was her fault, not her mother's. My curiosity got the better of me, so that evening I went to the house with a friend. The first thing I noticed was that the doorbell was missing. It was a remote bell with a receiver that you can plug into any room in the house. She'd complained about it the whole time she lived there, because she thought she was annoying. But the new place she moved into didn't have a doorbell, so she took mine. The next thing was the stench. She'd left trash rotting on the kitchen floor for at least a week. A few months ago, she broke the showerhead and replaced it with a cheaper version. That was gone as well. She also took a couple of other things from me, including my blender and an unopened bottle of Jagermeister. But the piece de resistance was found in my bedroom. Her daughter had found a jar of paint on my dresser and threw it all over my recliner. She also left a note that covered the same basic points that her voicemail had.

Needless to say, I was furious. I took pictures of everything with my cell phone and sent an email to the landlord filling him in on everything. His response was basically "deal with it". He said that, since she wasn't on the lease, he couldn't go after her for damages. So now I'm stuck with the cost of replacing everything (we never finished paying the deposit). The landlord is taking a very hands-off approach, and I feel helpless right now. I know that he's full of crap about not being able to take her to court for damages. She was living on his property, getting mail there, utilities were in her name, and most of the rent checks even came from her account. And is it just me, or is it common sense that anyone living in your house should be on the lease, not to cover their ass, but to cover yours as a landlord? I think he dropped the ball here and doesn't want to admit it.

As of right now, I plan to pay for any repairs that are necessary. Once it's all taken care of, A and I are going to take her to small claims court. I understand that it won't be worth it monetarily, but this woman needs to realize that you can't do things like that to people and not pay for it. At 40 years old, she shouldn't still be throwing temper tantrums. What I'd really like to do is take the landlord to court for being a complete idiot and not covering both of our asses.

Legally, what are my options? Thanks for any advice!What is the name of your state?

[acmb05]

Originally Posted by rozeecheeks

What is the name of your state? Arizona

This is going to be kind of long, as there's some pertinent background information.

Back in September, my best friend, A, and I decided to rent a house together. We didn't have a whole lot saved up, but for various reasons, we needed to get out of our respective situations. We found the house we wanted and met with the landlords. They loved us and passed up another couple of girls to give us the house. The house has 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom for $975 a month. The deposit was $1500. We were unable to pay that amount upfront, but the landlords were going to allow us to pay it in a few installments, as long as it was paid by December 1st. It should have been no problem. So we moved in October 1st, and our friend P moved in as well to help keep costs down. A and I were the only ones on the lease, as we knew that P would be graduating soon and planned to move back East. The landlords knew this and were okay with it. He'd passed their application process, so it wasn't a problem.

Fast forward to December. I had switched jobs, because I was unhappy where I was at, and it wasn't necessary to stay at a job I hated because I didn't NEED to make that much money anymore. With two people to help pay the bills, I figured I'd be fine making less and I'd still be able to pay my part of the bills. A got fired from her job and was going to be unable to pay rent for January. P was only working part time and we weren't happy living with him (boys are gross), so he decided to move into student housing until he graduated. A and I decided that the best thing would be for her to move in with her boyfriend, and I'd find a new roommate. My friend D said she'd give up her apartment and move in so I wouldn't lose my house. At this point, we hadn't met the deadline for the security deposit. The landlords were being very understanding about the entire situation and had no problem with letting A move out and D take her place. The understanding we had with the landlords was that A would be taken off of the lease completely and D would be put on.

Fast forward again to the middle of March. D and I had been living together since January 1st. In the beginning of February, she decided to move in her 19-year-old daughter and her 2-year-old grandkid. It was supposed to be temporary, but it didn't end up that way. They took over the house entirely. The only reason I put up with it was because her kid was paying 1/3 of the rent and in exchange for not paying utilities, she was going to keep the house clean, since her mother and I didn't have time for it. I was working 2 jobs, so I was gone for 14 hours a day. When I was home, I stayed in my room unless it was absolutely necessary to leave. I was absolutely miserable in my own home. Out of the blue, D decided to move out. I told the landlord what was going on, and it turns out that he never put her on the lease. Why in the world was she not on the lease? Apparently, she didn't pass his credit check, so he didn't want her on the lease. It also turns out that he never removed A from the lease as was the understanding.

Things went downhill from there. D lost her ever-loving mind. She stole my mail, snooped in my chat logs, and destroyed the house when she moved out. I'd been staying with a friend for about a week, because I didn't feel safe in the house with her. The day she moved out, I got a voicemail from her daughter stating that anything wrong with the house was her fault, not her mother's. My curiosity got the better of me, so that evening I went to the house with a friend. The first thing I noticed was that the doorbell was missing. It was a remote bell with a receiver that you can plug into any room in the house. She'd complained about it the whole time she lived there, because she thought she was annoying. But the new place she moved into didn't have a doorbell, so she took mine. The next thing was the stench. She'd left trash rotting on the kitchen floor for at least a week. A few months ago, she broke the showerhead and replaced it with a cheaper version. That was gone as well. She also took a couple of other things from me, including my blender and an unopened bottle of Jagermeister. But the piece de resistance was found in my bedroom. Her daughter had found a jar of paint on my dresser and threw it all over my recliner. She also left a note that covered the same basic points that her voicemail had.

Needless to say, I was furious. I took pictures of everything with my cell phone and sent an email to the landlord filling him in on everything. His response was basically "deal with it". He said that, since she wasn't on the lease, he couldn't go after her for damages. So now I'm stuck with the cost of replacing everything (we never finished paying the deposit). The landlord is taking a very hands-off approach, and I feel helpless right now. I know that he's full of crap about not being able to take her to court for damages. She was living on his property, getting mail there, utilities were in her name, and most of the rent checks even came from her account. And is it just me, or is it common sense that anyone living in your house should be on the lease, not to cover their ass, but to cover yours as a landlord? I think he dropped the ball here and doesn't want to admit it.

As of right now, I plan to pay for any repairs that are necessary. Once it's all taken care of, A and I are going to take her to small claims court. I understand that it won't be worth it monetarily, but this woman needs to realize that you can't do things like that to people and not pay for it. At 40 years old, she shouldn't still be throwing temper tantrums. What I'd really like to do is take the landlord to court for being a complete idiot and not covering both of our asses.

Legally, what are my options? Thanks for any advice!What is the name of your state?

Legally you and the other person on the lease are responsible for the damages. You can sue the person who did the damages if you can prove she did it. You have no case against the landlord because you did not follow up and see what was going on.

[Cvillecpm]

I repeat myself...."no good deed goes unpunished"....because your landlords were NICE TO YOU they are douchebags?

You are immature and very shortsighted...you quit a job and take a lesser one because you don't need the money? You make poor choices of roommates, poor choices of jobs and then don't stick around in the house you are responsible for and you think it is someone else's fault?

Youn and A are responsible for the damages * Hooray for your landlords' not taking A off the lease * and your taking the roommate with poor credit to small claims will be a "learning experience" for YOU and not for the roommate/defendant. Maybe by going through the process, you will realize the consequences of your actions.