If a Roommate's Pet Damages Personal Property, Who is Financially Responsible
My question involves landlord-tenant law in the State of: Texas
My roommate has a cat. I told her when she got the cat that I did not want to take care of him because I did not want to have to worry about the responsibility that comes with having a pet. My roommate's cat got left in my room for 5 days while we were both out of town. My roommate told me she was leaving on Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. When I left town early Wednesday morning someone was still in her room (lights on, keys and belongings still here, etc.). I did a quick look to see if the cat was in my room, did not see him, closed my bedroom door and left town. I did not think anything of it because I did not know my roommate had left yet and said she was going to be taking the cat to her mom's house. I thought that even if he was still in my room, she would have come to get him when she was leaving. She apparently left on Tuesday night without saying bye, and her friend who has previously taken care of the cat was still in her room when I left.
I come home on Sunday night and the cat has been in my room without food, water, and litter box, so he peed and pooped all over my room and bed, damaging over $100 worth of my stuff (price not including the mattress).
She is saying that it is 100% my fault since I closed the door with the cat in it, even though he is not my animal and therefore not my responsibility. Since he is not my animal, I do not think about him before I leave. She barely apologized, did not offer to help me clean everything up, and said that she will not pay me for replacing the damaged items. What should I do about this situation? I feel like I should be financially compensated for all the things I had to replace. I'm broke and in college, so $100 is a lot for me.
Re: If a Roommate's Pet Damages Personal Property, Who is Financially Responsible
Quote:
Quoting
peacock2019
She is saying that it is 100% my fault since I closed the door with the cat in it,
I'm going to go with that.
Disclaiming any responsibility for "taking care of" the cat you doesn't absolve you from doing more diligence in making sure of where the cat was before leaving.
Just like having an auto accident where "I didn't see" means "I didn't look."
Your roommate isn't the one who left the cat in your room, you did.
Sorry, but your damage is on you.