roommate problems, please help!

[riotgrrl]

What is the name of your state? Colorado

In July I moved in with a friend - we orally agreed that I would pay her $700 a month plus half of the utilities to rent her 1400 sq ft finished basement for the next 3 years. Well, the basement remains completely unfinished to this day and I have been living in a spare bedroom in her house with ALL of my furniture!! (I had a 2 bedroom house before I moved here, so I have all of my living room furniture in my bedroom along with my bed, etc, most of my stuff is still in boxes because there is no where for me to unpack it). So, I stopped paying utilites 3 months ago figuring $700 was plenty for both rent of one bedroom and any utilites I may use. Every time I asked about when the basement would get done she would say "next month". She did not ask me about utilities until this month. She now says I owe her for the past three months of utilites because that is what we agreed upon. I want to move out because I feel it's not fair for me to be living in one bedroom for this amount of money when I was told I would have an entire basement to myself. I would have never agreed to this situation. Do I owe her the utilities? Can I move out without giving her 30 days notice?

 

[JETX]

She now says I owe her for the past three months of utilites because that is what we agreed upon.

And based on your post, that is accurate.

I want to move out because I feel it's not fair for me to be living in one bedroom for this amount of money when I was told I would have an entire basement to myself.

The problem here is that your 'agreement' is not formalized in any written form. As such, it is simply your word as to what the 'agreement' was.... against hers.

I would have never agreed to this situation. Do I owe her the utilities?

In my opinion as based on YOUR post, even as 'unfair' as it sounds, yes.

Can I move out without giving her 30 days notice?

That depends. Do you have any security deposit at risk??? If so, then are likely to get an expensive life lesson. The problem here, as stated above, is that this entire 'deal' was verbal, making it hard (if at all possible) for you to be able to prove what YOUR deal was. And the 'landlord' has only to provide proof of your rent and utility payments to be able to 'prove' your agreement. One thing on your side is that your post says your lease was for 3 years. Colorado law says that any lease longer than one year must be in writing.... however, that doesn't waive your possible obligation for the year. Bottom line... you have put yourself in a situation that has no 'easy' or risk-free resolution.