Hey,

I just signed a lease and put down a security deposit for an apartment. It is a joint lease between myself and a friend of mine. He was recently evicted from his last apartment but has not yet had any legal repercussions and has not yet been evicted I suppose. (He was 2 weeks late and decided he is just going to let them evict him).

The landlord was not there to sign our agreement because its through a real estate agency but their name is in the terms. I do not think my friend will have any problems with THIS rent since it is half of what he was paying to live by himself. My question is, what is the worst that could happen if OUR landlord finds out HE is going through the eviction process? Could they deny us the apartment at this point or just kick themselves for not checking his credit before he signed?

Thanks!

Where do you live? Everything is normally state to state. Yet, if YOU filled out the application to rent this place on a year lease, YOU are responsible for your roommate (bad credit). If this person is not listed on the lease you some how become the other landlord(laws are state to state). Basically, it's your responsibility if the "Landlord" approves "YOU"... regarding your "Friend" due to YOUR being approved! So, be careful on approval.

We live in Georgia and we both signed today. They have not run a credit check yet. If I go in tomorrow and tell them he is being evicted... do you think I can get out of this?

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Originally Posted by ttyl88

We live in Georgia and we both signed today. They have not run a credit check yet. If I go in tomorrow and tell them he is being evicted... do you think I can get out of this?

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If you both signed the lease then apparently your new landlord never checked his credit. In New York, whoever is listed on the lease is held responsible. You can pay your half on time but still be held for his irresponsibility. If you don't want your credit affected then you would have to pay what he didn't to keep your credit in good faith (especially with future landlords) then go after him for the money. Do you really want to be responsible for this roommate? You already know he's being irresponsible to his current landlord and depending on how well you know this person, is it worth the risk for him to involve you and your credit? The Real Estate Agency just rented the place for your new landlord, got their commission and went on to the next rental. Now that the lease was signed and the money was exchanged, it's now yours and your friends and you are legally bound until the end of the lease. It will be a fight between you, your friend and the landlord if there are any problems in between.

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Originally Posted by badboymagnet

If you both signed the lease then apparently your new landlord never checked his credit. In New York, whoever is listed on the lease is held responsible. You can pay your half on time but still be held for his irresponsibility. If you don't want your credit affected then you would have to pay what he didn't to keep your credit in good faith (especially with future landlords) then go after him for the money. Do you really want to be responsible for this roomate? You already know he's being irresponsible to his current landlord and depending on how well you know this person, is it worth the risk for him to involve you and your credit? The Real Estate Agency just rented the place for your new landlord, got their commission and went on to the next rental. Now that the lease was signed and the money was exchanged, it's now yours and your friends and you are legally bound until the end of the lease. It will be a fight between you, your friend and the landlord if there are any problems in between.

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Absolutely - unless OP wants to worry whether roommate can pay the rent I would get out of this NOW, no matter what it costs. Talk to the landlord/rental agency. See if you can strike some sort of deal. Hopefully this is all so recent that they will work with OP.