verbal agreement to split rent enough?

[ToddMDoemel]

I live in Missouri. My daughter signed a lease with another girl. The other was too young so her parents signed the lease for her. We had a verbal agreement to split the rent 50/50.
Afer about one month the other girl decided she wanted to live with a friend who had moved back into town and left.
We took the parents to civil court to recover the rent from the time their daughter left until my daughter found another roommate $1600.
Their lawyer is trying to have the case dismissed, saying in MO you have to have a signed agreement for splitting the rent.
I have a letter from the other girls father where the father admits (in writing) that there was a verbal agreement to split the rent, but their lawyer says that is not enough, do they have a leg to stand on? We have a signed lease.

 

[HomeGuru]

Forget the agreement in writing to split the rent and what their lawyer is telling you.
Your evidence and proof is the written lease agreement signed by the parents. That is what will hold up. The parents signed the lease and agreed to pay the rent period, end of discussion.
To top it off, the letter from the girls father futher supports your case.
Need more ammunition? Use the MO L/T laws to your advantage.

 

[ToddMDoemel]

thanks HomeGuru

Where do I find MO landlord/tenant law information, on this site or the library?

 

[HomeGuru]

Click on the State Resources link at the top of this page.