Roommate Wants Me To Move Out But Won't Return Deposit

[frustratedroommate]

Recently, I moved into an apartment for sharing with a lady. We had a verbal agreement that no third party will live there and that I should stay there for at least five months - I agreed to all terms. But within the first 2 weeks of living there, she has asked me to either take over the lease or to move out in a week. Though my name is not on the lease, I do have a verbal agreement with her and paid one month rent's worth of deposit. She is trying to force me out, which is causing massive problems for me. For this issue, I had asked her to pay my deposit back plus one month rent's compensation due to all the problems she created - if agreed upon, I could move out immediately. However, she had spent part of my deposit so she cannot return it fully to me in short time, nor does she want to pay me compensation as we had verbally agreed to before. On top of that, she wants me to move out by next week. I already made a compromise to stay there until the end of the month, get my deposit back and move out, but she also denied that notion. Am I able to take any legal measures and sue her for compensation, even on verbal agreement?

[Mr. Knowitall]

Landlord-tenant laws are different in each state. It sounds like you created a month-to-month tenancy, which can thus be terminated on one month's notice. Depending on your state's laws that notice period would either begin on the date notice was given or on the date that the next rent payment is due. Your remedies for an illegal eviction depend on your state.