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This isn't a legal forum- so tread very lightly as to legal issues here at C-D.
You have no legal bounds or issues (keep your money)-
Take advantage of it. Pack your stuff as fast as you can and move out- before you get "moved out".
Then take this as a lesson learned on the ways of the world.
If there is more to your relationship than just the room mate thing...
then deal with that.
But assuming this is ONLY about you having a home (with working appliances)...
then you owe her nothing at this point. She has had the opportunity to remedy.
If there is more to your relationship than just the room mate thing...
then deal with that.
But assuming this is ONLY about you having a home (with working appliances)...
then you owe her nothing at this point. She has had the opportunity to remedy.
no your absolutely right- I put an ad on CL looking for a roommate and she contacted me, we searched for a place together, but that was it.
She found a place, snapped it up, and I went along with her. But when doing the walkthrough we were openly discussing things like how much more riduculously better her room is than mine (hers has a full view of the cityscape downtown and mine is a small slide window with iron bars over it) the landlord said, jokingly "dont let it ruin your friendship, now" or something and she said "well we arent friends yet". Which is true but I was like...damn girl.
So, you promised to pay this months rent...it is the 11th...and you only have half? What's up w/ that. And, why weren't the utilities turned on when you first moved in? Sure, the LL promised a working stove...but unless your lease mentions that he furnishes stove and frig you may not have a leg to stand on. Pus, you aren't on the lease....How can you sue for anything...you haven't paid anything, and you aren't on the contract. So, why has the LL cost you money that was supposed to go for rent? You have a frig? Eat sandwiches. Heck, I might have bought my own stove by now if it was a big issue.
Sounds to me like the one getting messed over is the roommate, on one hand by the LL on the other by you. Not a good way to start out w/ a new roommate, stiffing them on the rent. You may want to just move now.
Last edited by JanND; 01-11-2013 at 01:45 PM..
Reason: punctuation, edit text
So, you promised to pay this months rent...it is the 11th...and you only have half? What's up w/ that. And, why weren't the utilities turned on when you first moved in? Sure, the LL promised a working stove...but unless your lease mentions that he furnishes stove and frig you may not have a leg to stand on. So, why has the LL cost you money that was supposed to go for rent? Sounds to me like the one getting messed over is the roommate, on one hand by the LL on the other by you. Not a good way to start out w/ a new roommate, stiffing them on the rent.
i think your misunderstanding.
My rent is really not very expensive. The idea is that normally, my roomie and i were to split each months in half. It just so happened she was so eager to get the place last month she wanted to pay everything for the first month (to secure it) and i would pay the second. This was a tall order for me to take on to begin with but i caved in to pressure and the fact that she pretty much decided for me that she was gonna pay the first down.
My bf drives an SUV and lives 20 miles away not quickly or easily accessible by public transit. He gets something like 13-17 MPG. Gas in SoCal right now is floating just under $4 and i dont own a car. My boyfriend has to transport me like everyday for reasons mentioned. I buy the gas. It gets VERY expensive. Add to that having to eat out as unnecessarily as I do and even the cheapest meals stack up. Daily. If i wanted to make anything at home, I cant, because my dishes are still in boxes on the floor, now filthy again, with nowhere to store them. Basically, what im saying is it put a HUGE dent in what I earn/save and the comfortability of my lifestyle. I intended on looking for a job near the apartment ,the WHOLE reason I moved to that particular area, and I havent even been able to go out and look for a job because I havent even been "living" there, cant reasonably fall asleep, wake up, shower, eat and go to work as one would like. Im currently self-employed and wanted to get a more stable job as i factored that into my monthly costs and affording the apt. but taking a job there is a risk now, as is taking a job near my bf. Its limbo. The area the apartment is in is near a train station which is great for me. Ive been using these subways for years. I expected my monthly commuting expenses to be under $50. Not $50 a tank.
I dont know why the utilities werent on. She moved in like a week before me and everything was under her name and i figured theyd be on. She kept putting it off, i was asking her about it the whole time she was gone.
Last edited by nhopkins87; 01-11-2013 at 02:24 PM..
She may not have had the money to have the utilities turned on.
Right now, it sounds like you should offer the roommate something, because you have been staying there for a month. It's only fair to offer her half of a month's rent, which it sounds like you have, or just about have. Then, as long as your name isn't on anything, run...and stay with your boyfriend, or your parents, or any friends who have space on their couch, until you find a more stable job and a place you can afford.
In the future, if you don't have a stove, buy a hot plate at the grocery store for $10 and a crock pot for $20. Between the two you can cook everything you would cook on a stove. I've done it before when the stove went out in an apartment and I couldn't get them to repair or replace it, and I had to feed my kids on a budget.
The gas wasn't turned on and the landlord told you he couldn't install the stove and check for leaks properly until it was turned on. That seems to be the real issue here. You are in default if you withhold the rent and it could go on the roommate's credit if they report to credit bureaus. Even if you were to take this to court, about all you would get out of it is a termination of lease or otherwise agree to stay if the stove is installed within so many days. Of course some of it will depend on your state law so there could be exceptions but I still believe you would most likely lose, especially if you don't pay your rent on time.
Now as for only having half the rent the first month you are supposed to pay, that is inexcusable. There are no excuses, life happens all around us all the time and you should not be renting an apartment if you don't have funds set aside to cover at least around 3 months of living expenses in case something goes wrong.....an it will.
No reason not to be able to cook food. Make the roomate pay if you wish...You are not short rent because of your landlord...Those 2 applicances cost less than a $100 total and can be used to prepare any food that you can prepare in an oven. No doubt no hot water is rough but hot water is necessarily to bathe yourself either, but I don't buy that you are short money cause of your landlord.
I would think it's reasonable for maybe a 20% or so rent reduction but there is no way you should be able to justify living in this place for a month and pay half the rent or none of it.
Last edited by jdm2008; 01-11-2013 at 06:49 PM..
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