do I owe rent if I'm not on lease

[wxjay]

So long as you gave a 30-day notice and left and paid all obligations up through those 30 days (utilities, rent, etc.), you are not legally bound to contribute anymore. If they want, they can certainly file a small claims court case against you. Appear and argue your case. The burden of proof is on the plaintiff.

[CSD610]

Originally Posted by towerofthree

I was sharing a house with 4 other roommates but my name wasn't on the lease. I was no longer able to pay my portion of rent so I gave them a 30-day notice that I'd be moving. I had paid first and last month rent, so they kept the last month for the last month I actually lived there. But they say I still owe through the lease. Do I legally owe the rent or not?

Yet another legal question posted on a public forum.

[miu]

From reading this thread, and having lived in several apartment and house shares, I'd rather live with someone like SuperSparkle928 and not at all with AnonChick.

Since the OP didn't mention having any issues with his roommates in terms of compatibility, I think that he does have the obligation to cover the rent until he is able to find a replacement person for his room. And he also should help with finding his replacement.

Otherwise, how would he like it if the roommates on the lease suddenly gave him 30 days notice to leave just because they felt like it?

I feel that the OP is lacking in his code of personal ethics if he feels that he can just give his 30 days notice to leave the apartment with no fault on the part of his roommates and just because the apartment doesn't suit his needs anymore. It's not his roommates fault that he can't pay his share any longer.

[thecharlesriver]

Originally Posted by miu

From reading this thread, and having lived in several apartment and house shares, I'd rather live with someone like SuperSparkle928 and not at all with AnonChick.

Since the OP didn't mention having any issues with his roommates in terms of compatibility, I think that he does have the obligation to cover the rent until he is able to find a replacement person for his room. And he also should help with finding his replacement.

Otherwise, how would he like it if the roommates on the lease suddenly gave him 30 days notice to leave just because they felt like it?

I feel that the OP is lacking in his code of personal ethics if he feels that he can just give his 30 days notice to leave the apartment with no fault on the part of his roommates and just because the apartment doesn't suit his needs anymore. It's not his roommates fault that he can't pay his share any longer.

Since I do not know what the agreement was between these four people I will withhold my moral judgement about this person. But the fact remains, that if the named lessee wanted to make sure that all parties were bound in the same way that the named lessee is bound, then they should have all been named on the lease. The fact that at least one of them is not on the lease, lends credence to the possibility that there was never any intent to hold all of them to the original terms of the lease. Toward that end, the OP has done what he/she is legally obligated to do according the law in the Commonwealth. I can't judge the OP because I don't know what the hell they agreed to.