My girlfriend decided it would be a good idea for us to move in with a couple of people she works with. So she signed the lease. All four of us were at the signing; we all agreed to live together, unfortunately. I didn't realize I'd need my license at the time, though, and they wouldn't let me sign the lease without it. She signed it, though (my girlfriend).

So now I've been here a few months, but the couple we're living with have begun harassing me, and are generally untrustworthy people. I'm a little worried that they would try to get me kicked out. Could they have me kicked out, when I haven't done anything wrong, and my girlfriend definitely wants me here?

Also, depending on whether the harassment continues, I'm considering talking to the landlord about it, and possibly getting some kind of restraining order against the person in question. Would we be able to live in the same house, and he just wouldn't be allowed to talk to me? I mean, I'm not out to ruin anybody's life... I just want to be left to live in peace. Is that so much to ask?

If your name is not on the lease you have no legal right to be there. The fact that you have done nothing wrong, or that your girlfriend wants you there, will offer you no protection against removal from the property.

I had read that if someone has been living somewhere long enough uncontested they had to be evicted, even if they aren't on the lease. That's not true? I mean, the landlord knew from the beginning that I was living here. The whole condition of the lease was that the couple we moved in with had to get two other people to live here in the first place.

Can my girlfriend and I go and get my name on the lease, with the landlord's permission, or will we need the other couple's permission too?

I had read that if someone has been living somewhere long enough uncontested they had to be evicted, even if they aren't on the lease. That's not true? I mean, the landlord knew from the beginning that I was living here. The whole condition of the lease was that the couple we moved in with had to get two other people to live here in the first place.

It is true that the amount of time a person lives somewhere affects the eviction process, however, the time is usually considerable.


Can my girlfriend and I go and get my name on the lease, with the landlord's permission, or will we need the other couple's permission too?

Hopefully someone else can answer this question better than I can. But taking an educated guess, everyone who has signed the lease would have to agree. Of course, this is something that could be up to the sole discretion of the landlord. The landlord could answer this question for you though.

Anyway, I wish you luck.

I had read that if someone has been living somewhere long enough uncontested they had to be evicted,

Do you have proof that you've contributed to rent, etc? I would go in and have a conversation with the landlord. Get their take on the situation. Find out how they would like it handled. Even before that, read the lease very carefully to see exactly what it says. Are you listed as a resident on the lease, even though you're not a leasee?

As far as a restraining order... I'm pretty sure that those involve the person being "restrained" not being able to come within a certain number of feet of you, etc. I would think you'd have a hard time convincing the judge that this person is a threat to you but you still want to live under the same roof with them. KWIM?

As a landlord in a college town I have had a number of roommate situations come up. Every situation is different, of course, but I've found that there's usually a lot of backstabbing/gossip/behind the back kind of stuff going on. I've made everyone sit down together with me present and hash everything out before with great success. Is there no way that you can get an uninvolved party to sit in on something like that and just agree to co-exist for the remainder of the lease?

At the least your GF is on the hook for the remainder of the lease.

Hope something in there helped.
Karla in TX