
Quoting
ToughPosition
I feel as though I am in a very touchy area right now, and am going to try to explain this story as best I can.
I had signed a lease for an apartment August 16th of last year with another person. In late September of last year, my roommate whom I had signed the lease with was involved in a car accident, and was charged with Intoxication Manslaughter. He is currently being held on house arrest awaiting trial at his parents home. At the time of the wreck, I obviously felt horrible for everybody involved, including the other family, my roommate who was always a very nice guy who had previously never even had a speeding ticket, and my roommate's parents who appeared to be the sweetest people in the world.
After the wreck, my roommate's parents were pushing me daily to try and find a new person who could step in and cover half of the rent. The apartment was a 2 bedroom and cost $1100 a month, so it was difficult to find somebody as quickly as they would have liked. For the next two months, his parents did cover his portion of the rent until a friend of mine moved in to the apartment. My options at the time were very limited, as his parents consistantly pressured me, explaining how they were going to have to sell their house to cover legal fee's, and how they couldn't afford to pay the rent for the remainder of the lease.
Recently, things somehow have flipped upside down. I started getting harrassing text messages from his father about how I owe $200 for a cable bill that was in my former roommate's name, and how the court will garnish it from my paycheck, and so forth (I'm not stupid, so I know better then to take this seriously.)
Yesterday, his father went to my apartment complex to have his son's name taken off the lease somehow (power of attorney maybe?) While in the leasing office, he told the property manager that I had another person living in the complex, which in turn gotten me in some hot water with my complex. Due to the outstanding events, I thought the last thing he would do is try to get me in trouble for helping him out...some people...
When I look at the facts, the thing that jumps out at me is that he was on the lease all the way up until yesterday, so I believe I have some sort of legal right to half of the rent from the time of the wreck, to yesterday when his name was removed from the lease, regardless of who was "staying with me and occasionally helping out with bills." Also, I believe I should be entitled something for past electricity bills, as well as water/trash.
Don't get me wrong, I did collect some money from my last failed two roommates during the time of his incarceration, but nothing even close to half the rent, IE, I'd be lucky if I recieved $300 a month, where as half of the rent would be $550 plus bills.
I know this looks like I am trying to profit from an unfortunate situation, but I am out thousands of dollars, and plenty of headaches through this whole ordeal, which is a lot college kid like me. If I do somehow get the past rent owed to me, it would be donated to the other family or the battered women's shelter or something.
Soo....any advice, tips, help, questions, concerns, would be great!