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  1. #1

    Post Suing an Ex-Roommate for Unpaid Rent

    My question involves court procedures for the state of: Oregon

    I guess my question is more should I even try as it would be a he said she said situation. I did put him on the lease to protect myself in case things went bad between us and unexpectedly it did.

    We were friends at the time and in bad situations that we needed to get away from. He quit his job prior to me finding an apartment which was in town far away from my job so I had to travel back to work by bus which. I invited him to come and stay as a roommate and look for a job when he could. For about a year he didn't look for a job and barely even left the apartment. I didn't nag him about looking as I was having a lot of anxiety as it was with traveling for the job and worrying about loosing it and the apartment as I was barely making enough money to keep the apartment and have food to eat.

    At that point I did start trying to get him to go to doctors to get his medical issues diagnosed so that he could go to Voc Rehab which can help him find a job that he would be able to work with but he kept making excuses to not do it. When he did finally start looking for work he did get hired for about 5 jobs but made excuses to not keep them for more than 2 days so he never paid rent. He either used his medical condition which he didn't know what it was at the time or he would find a reason why he couldn't stand the job and quit.

    In the last 8 months I started to communicate more with him and he finally went to a doctor to get the diagnosis and went to Voc Rehab. I thought communicating more with him would make things better but it made things worse as he became more aggressive and caused damage to the apartment which the manager said he would charge me for but turns out that he didn't. In the mean time my ex roommate broke one of my cups, a lid to my egg pan which I no longer have and really dented a mixing bowl which I'm still able to use at least. I became afraid of him and tried to talk to him about it but that was a mistake. He started saying things to me that led me to believe he never intended to pay rent and even gave me an altimatum to him staying. That is when I decided it was time for him to leave.

    Overall he was there for almost 2 years and his share is almost $7000. If I have a chance I have heard that I would not be able to get the full amount. Is this also correct?

  2. #2
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    Default Re: Suing an Ex-Roommate for Unpaid Rent

    You have indicated that you added your friend to the lease and that you knew at the time he was not in a position to contribute to your rent, but you have not indicated that there was ever an agreement under which your friend would contribute to the rent, when any contributions would start, or the amount of any contributions. In the absence of an agreement, your choice to let your friend live in your home rent-free is not something you can retroactively re-invent into an agreement by which he owes you half of your rent for the past two years.

    Did you actually have an agreement relating to rent? Can you prove its terms? Would your friend admit to having agreed to pay rent?

    What are the odds of ever recovering money from your friend if you actually obtain a judgment?

  3. #3

    Default Re: Suing an Ex-Roommate for Unpaid Rent

    So your saying even though I put him on the lease if I didn't have it in writing he can deny it in court and I would not get paid?

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Suing an Ex-Roommate for Unpaid Rent

    Your merely adding him to the lease is neither a promise by him nor an agreement with him that he'll contribute so much as a penny to the rent. So again, did you actually have an agreement relating to rent? Can you prove its terms? Will your friend admit to having agreed to pay rent?

  5. #5

    Default Re: Suing an Ex-Roommate for Unpaid Rent

    Sorry I don't understand what you mean by prove its terms? And being that things ended badly even though he is an honest person I don't see he would admit that he agreed to paying rent at any time.

    Please disregard the last question as I understand what you mean by that now. Long shot in the dark but what if I had lost my job and had to use my 401K money to be able to pay for rent and also pay for some of his needs like clothes and shoes with it. I have receipt for some of those things. Can I get my money back for that since it was with that money and I have receipts?

    Since your to good to help and finish answering my question I will take it elsewhere.

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