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Leaving without notice/stopping payment on rent check

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beth22285

Junior Member
I live in Los Angeles, California and have recently had some problems with my roommate. Our situation is this: we lived together in a two bedroom apartment, but our lease was in my name only, as well as all of the bills, etc. and she was my sub-tenant (I believe this is correct terminology). After some disagreements we mutually decided that it would be best that she move out, and she said that she would move out in the end of May, giving me 30 days notice to start looking for another person to help me with the rent. Yesterday I attempted to cash the check she had given me for the rent but was unable to because payment on the check had been stopped. When I confronted her, she told me that supposedly her mother had frozen her bank account (the account is in my roommate's name only) because she didn't want her to move to another apartment, she wanted to her come and live at home. This explanation is obviously a poorly crafted lie, but I don't have access to a lot of information that would serve as proof of its falsity. I told her that she could not stay if she didn't pay me, and she in turn moved out instead of paying me (not surprisingly, she already had two of her friends who own pickup trucks ready to help her - obviously she had this all planned). I believe that I may sue her for up to 3 months of rent because she gave me no notice, and she owes me utilities for the past month. I am now in possession of her refrigerator as collateral because I believe she also owes me money for a month of rent from early on in our agreement, and we need to come to an agreement over certain items that she took/that I have. The situation with the check, however, I believe carries legal penalties. The owners of the apartment have already told me that they will act as witnesses as to the terms of the contract.I would appreciate any advice, tips, or direction on how to handle this situation. Thanks!
 


BelizeBreeze

Senior Member
A verbal agreement in Real Estate transactions are worth the price of the paper they are written on.

You can take her to small claims court to TRY and recover any damages. More, unless you have a written contract, is up to you to prove.
 

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