appartment quiestion (apartments, lease, eviction)

[Jenniferhelp]

I lived with a ex-boyfriend for a few months, when I moved out I signed a paper that the manager supplied to me at the appartments and my ex continued to live and pay rent for a year. He now has moved and not payed last months rent or damage fees to the appartment and they are requiring me to pay this now. They state the paper they had me sign is not valid due to they didnt sign it and the ex boyfriend did not sign this. I asked for a copy of this document and they denied me having it. Am I obligated to pay for this? They tell me they will garnish my wages if I dont pay. is there a number of someone I can get help from with this?

[Nell Plotts]

This is a contract issue, perhaps you need a lawyer. You should have kept a copy of the document you signed.

[Steve Pickering]

Same answer as posted in your other identical question. No ,matter how many times you post it the answer is, This is not a legal Forum. Get legal advice, not forum opinions.

[Minervah]

I think Jennifer was wise to begin another thread in place of tagging onto one that was a couple of years old, however the answer is still the same. She is going to have to seek legal advice. The Community Alliance of Tenants mentioned in the other thread will not repesent her but they can tell her where to go for help.

[Steve Pickering]

Good Point. I was commenting more on the "Don't ask for legal advice in a Forum" issue.

[AndyAMG]

I won't pretend to be a lawyer but I can tell you that you are screwed. Your name is on everything. From a landlords point of view the person who stayed the longest is responsible for everything once the "roommate leaves"

Let me give you a scenario (It has happened recently at one of the properties my wife manages). Jack and Jill 20 something move in to an apartment they both sign the lease. Jack moves out to chase some tail, Jill doesn't tell the apartments Jack moved out (in a timely manner) furthermore, Jack didn't give notice to vacate. Jill goes on 6 month without jack, then starts running into problems paying rent. Now Jill is in the spotlight, Jill gets an eviction notice and the apartment manager finds out Jack left. Now everything is Jill's problem, damage, back rent, etc. Whether or not Jack would have given notice to vacate, Jill would be sole person on the lease, therefore Jill is responsible for everything on the lease after the fact. BUT.... Had he given notice, the apartment manager would have told her all of these things your now going through before hand so she could take action at that time. Now that Jack is gone she is left holding the bag. And yes, they can and will garnish wages after 2 court hearings usually. This scenario is with a large professional management company with good lawyers on retainer. They will sue you in court to get back rent and damages. My wife has been to many of those court hearings, it's pretty ugly, the tenant usually breaks down and starts begging for concessions, or gets angry and violent. Usually, the first time the court will let you work something out with the landlord, a payment plan usually over a few months, but not more than a year. Tenant laws are pretty good in OR. If you miss the court date that's when there can be a default judgement against you, and if you fail to pay after the first court date as agreed, then they can garnish your wages.

Not a lawyer, not saying this is what WILL happen, just giving you a scenario based on past experiences.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Everyone who is on the lease is responsible for the entire amount of the rent and all the damage for the entire length of the lease. If one party can't pay, the other one is stuck with the entire amount due.

As for OP, there is no way to even guess what her situation is without knowing what sort of paperwork was signed. I'm guessing that she signed the lease and it doesn't matter whether or not she moved out early, she is still financially responsible.

But, hey, that is just a guess,. OP needs to get some legal advice and she needs to have copies of everything that she signed that applies to the apartment. "signed a paper" means absolutely zip. What kind of paper? A receipt for a pack of gum? An IOU? A note that she is moving out but does not state that she is no longer on the lease? What?????

[Steve Pickering]

Guesses are exactly why people should not ask legal questions in any forum.

[aajn]

hey, steve.

you're really annoying.