Summer almost over, a lot of you will be buying/leasing...

[sam]

Why am I saying this? Well I want you to learn from my mistakes.

First, my house got raided by cops back in february because my roommate ordered illegal drugs off the internet. Like any caring parent, my mom said NO WAY and made me move home.
Mistake 1
Get a lease with a contract breaking clause.

My lease does not have this. I moved out end of february, my lease ends august 1st. Well, I can't live there and am stuck paying this until the lease is up.

So you say "ok well that sounds like an end-all mistake!" But it isn't. I am informed today that one of the two people still living there has not paid his rent in 3 months. 3 FUCKING MONTHS! Why does this pertain to me?
Mistake 2
All 4 of us signed the same contract. We are all liable for one-another.

So, now I'm being sued for 3 months of rent. I don't have the money to pay for this and am now being forced to stay at my mom's house even longer, as my plans for moving have just been destroyed. Yes, I can sue the fat fuck that didn't pay (sorry, but instead of rent he spent his money on eating out every night and drugs.) but it's going to be pretty worthless. Most I'll get out of it is self-satisfaction as he has no money. Please be aware of what you're doing when you're signing a lease, you're not just living with friends, there is responsibility with it

[djfooboo]

I'm sorry to hear about your misfortune.

You get a sad emoticons

Good advice though, a lot of people don't really research living on their own, and just do it. Then they end up burned.

[Original Sin]

Thanks for the advice. I'm currently thinking about moving out as well, and I've been waiting to make sure everything is in order before I do.

[LikeableRodent]

Mistake 2
All 4 of us signed the same contract. We are all liable for one-another.

So, now I'm being sued for 3 months of rent. I don't have the money to pay for this and am now being forced to stay at my mom's house even longer, as my plans for moving have just been destroyed. Yes, I can sue the fat fuck that didn't pay (sorry, but instead of rent he spent his money on eating out every night and drugs.) but it's going to be pretty worthless. Most I'll get out of it is self-satisfaction as he has no money.

Back in high school one of my teachers (who enjoyed wasting class giving us "life lessons") mentioned that if we ever sign a lease to make sure that they're all separate contracts and that you aren't liable for one another. He also said to never room with a bunch of friends and be the stupid (or maybe he said idiot, I don't remember) person to sign as the main lessee because odds are you will get screwed.

Your situation seems to be better than having one person be the screwed one, as at least everyone else got screwed instead of one guy getting screwed a lot. Anyway out of the many life lessons he talked to us about in class that one is certainly one that has stuck in my head.

Too bad you didn't have him as a teacher

[Original Sin]

Mistake 2
All 4 of us signed the same contract. We are all liable for one-another.

So, now I'm being sued for 3 months of rent. I don't have the money to pay for this and am now being forced to stay at my mom's house even longer, as my plans for moving have just been destroyed. Yes, I can sue the fat fuck that didn't pay (sorry, but instead of rent he spent his money on eating out every night and drugs.) but it's going to be pretty worthless. Most I'll get out of it is self-satisfaction as he has no money.

Back in high school one of my teachers (who enjoyed wasting class giving us "life lessons") mentioned that if we ever sign a lease to make sure that they're all separate contracts and that you aren't liable for one another. He also said to never room with a bunch of friends and be the stupid (or maybe he said idiot, I don't remember) person to sign as the main lessee because odds are you will get screwed.

Your situation seems to be better than having one person be the screwed one, as at least everyone else got screwed instead of one guy getting screwed a lot. Anyway out of the many life lessons he talked to us about in class that one is certainly one that has stuck in my head.

Too bad you didn't have him as a teacher

Mr. Norton?

Yeah, I remember that lesson too. Luckily, I've saved up about a years worth of living expenses thus far, and still saving...just in case.

[Fagulous]

It's stories like this that make me glad that I spent so many sleepless nights watching that legal 101 lady from IUPUI on PBS.

Also other helpful advice.

When moving into a new place tour the apartment with the landlord and make note of the location of every nail hole, carpet discoloration, conditions of the tile in the restrooms, appliances and whatnot and have the landlord sign off on it. Also bring a camera with you and take photos of said items then immediatily have them printed at a place that puts a date stamp on the back of the photos.

This is very helpful should a landlord try to screw you on your deposit.

Yet another helpful tidbit, sadly I don't think I remember it right.

a landlord must return your deposit in full to you within 30(maybe 60) days of your leaving a forwarding address, unless he has sent you an itemized list detailing what repairs he made to the apartment, either way whatever amount left over must be returned within 30/60 days, if they don't guess what, you can take him to court to get the full amount back.

But anyway yes, I remember my sister's horror stories of roomates past of her now ex-friends, I even had to put off moving out for a few years, because basically all my friends were either druggies or just mearly irresponsible,

also if you have a roomate never put the phone in your name, or at the very least have long distance blocked from it, if they want to call someone, they can get a calling card.

[Pheadra]

Mistake #3

Dont room with a person who LOVES to do drugs...and isn't smart enough to put cash away for rent then on drugs...

Im pretty much goign to move out on my own...no one else. Found a fully furnished apartment in Speedway for $350....studio...not too shabby.

[LikeableRodent]

Mr. Norton?

Yeah, I remember that lesson too. Luckily, I've saved up about a years worth of living expenses thus far, and still saving...just in case.

Yup, that was Mr. Norton in Technology class. He might have been somewhat arrogant and the actual class useless, but at least every once in awhile he'd give you some useful life leasons.

[Original Sin]

I plan on moving out with a room-mate, at least for the time being. However, I CAN afford to live on my own, I just don't feel like spending that much money right now, especially with thoughts of school ahead of me. However, it's nice knowing I can afford to keep myself afloat, even if things didn't go as planned with whatever person I'd be rooming with.

Now, if I could find an uber cheap, small studio type place on my own, I might go for that. But that's about the only way I'm gonna move out all alone at this point.

[sam]

one thing you should think of is if you roommate goes out much. being the culture we thrive in (computer geeks ahoy!) a lot of them have no social lifes. it's quite annoying if you can never get any privy in your own place of residence to get busy with chix and stuff...although it's also equally as funny to be doin naughty things with someone in the next room banging on your wall.

[Blaze]

Mistake #3

Dont room with a person who LOVES to do drugs...and isn't smart enough to put cash away for rent then on drugs...

Im pretty much goign to move out on my own...no one else. Found a fully furnished apartment in Speedway for $350....studio...not too shabby.

If I may steal your wisdom for a moment, this is also a really good idea to consider when picking locker partners in highschool.

[Fluffyumpkins]

It seemes like in just about any college housing here, landlords don't really give the option to heave each person liable for their own stuff. In fact sometimes they even put parents on the on the list of who to call if rent doesn't get paid. They sign a form and take liability over everyone.

[sam]

Mistake #3

Dont room with a person who LOVES to do drugs...and isn't smart enough to put cash away for rent then on drugs...

Im pretty much goign to move out on my own...no one else. Found a fully furnished apartment in Speedway for $350....studio...not too shabby.

I had no clue he was going to become fucking retarded with the drugs. It's just pot. The problem is he's a fatass. He has no will power. He will order an entire large pizza and eat it all in one sitting. He spends $20 a day on delivery food just for dinner. I never got to see the other stuff because I was busy working. He's dilusional about himself and thinks he has no problem with eating and has now stemmed over to his drug (ab)use.

He also was let on the lease because noone would live with him. We felt bad for him. It's only $250 a month we figured he could afford it. Well status update, he "called" the landlord and told her that he couldn't pay rent for 2 months. I don't know if I believe this because I have no clue who he got the phone number from seeing as he never asked any of us roommates. I'm calling her in a few days to see what she has to say.

[UmmeiGenkai]

My sister's apartment situation sucks. Her room mate moved out before the lease ended, but her boyfriend moved in and helped with rent. The apartment pretty much sucked since the day they got it (the person leasing it just previous to them had sub-leased it out and it had about thirty people living in it. If you've ever been in one of park doral's apartments you know how they aren't even that great to begin with anyway.) The apartment complex itsself is in a very inconvienient place if you drive, rent goes up every month. But when lease runs out this august, they'll be moving into my recently deceeced grandmother's house on campus. I don't want to go through stuff like they did, so I've informed them that if they aren't out by the time I'm eighteen, they need to be prepaired for a little room mate