Roommate won't pay back the months of rent money

[dounjo]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Michigan
I had been with this roomate Feb of 2008. We just moved in to new apartment in Jan of 2009, and just moved out the last week of April. The problem is that he won't pay me the rent money of Jan and Feb which worth about 400 dollar. He said since he was mostly staying at his friend's place and hardly came to apartment, he doesn't want to pay me. He also said that since there is no written agreement nor his name was never on the official paper (only my name is on the appartment) there is no way for me to get that money. He just told me that about 10 mins ago. Do I have a chance to get my money back?

 

[Gail in Georgia]

Quite likely if you have documentation that he resided there (even if he claims he didn't physically stay there all the time those two months). For example, any mail with his name and the address of the unit available?

Gail

 

[sandyclaus]

A resolution is out there...

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Michigan
I had been with this roomate Feb of 2008. We just moved in to new apartment in Jan of 2009, and just moved out the last week of April. The problem is that he won't pay me the rent money of Jan and Feb which worth about 400 dollar. He said since he was mostly staying at his friend's place and hardly came to apartment, he doesn't want to pay me. He also said that since there is no written agreement nor his name was never on the official paper (only my name is on the appartment) there is no way for me to get that money. He just told me that about 10 mins ago. Do I have a chance to get my money back?

If you are the only one on the lease, and your roommate pays you rent to live there, that makes it a sublet. Your roommate is your tenant, and you are their landlord.

It doesn't matter how much time they have spent there. Their property is there, they receive mail there, they most likely cook and shower there, that makes them responsible for paying the rent per your verbal agreement. Do you have any records showing that he has paid rent to you in the past several months? That, in the absence of a written agreement, goes a long way to prove that there was an agreement to pay rent.

Give him a required Pay or Quit Notice (to establish his refusal to pay his rent), then file to evict him (to get him & his stuff permanently out of the apartment). Make sure to keep track of where to find him so that you can follow up in small claims to collect that rent.

 

[dounjo]

reply

i dont't have any mail that came for him..
however there are some of his underwears, mattress his text book which he left with tons of trashes in the room
And Actually I'm not leasing the house, me andmy roommate used to pay the rent half, half