So you decided to share your apartment in Athens Ohio with two friends whose names aren’t on the lease. No problem, right? You’re not a lawyer: what should you care?
But do you want to have to hire a lawyer? Do you want to be financially responsible for potentially thousands of dollars if these supposed friends skip town on rent, lawn mow the rug, or turn the kitchen wall into a shooting range? On second thought, you might want to play it legit and get everyone’s name on the lease. Here’s several ways ghost renting could screw you in a dark and gloomy parking lot.
Friend Skips Town
So everyone’s agreed to pay their fair share, and it’s actually a lot less than what it says on the lease you signed your name to. Sounds good, until somebody decides to drop out of school and run off to Mexico. Then you are left hanging, either having to find a roommate on the fly or be responsible for rent you suddenly can’t afford. Good luck with that.
Unforeseen Damages
As Hunter S. Thompson said, “You can turn your back on a person, but never turn your back on a drug.” Well, tequila is a just one of the many specialty drugs that go down in a college town, and the truth is you should probably just assume your roommate is a drug. If he or she burns the house down, decides to do Harley wheelies on the coffee table, or mud wrestle in the living room, the damage is on you, not them without a legit lease.
Talk to the Landlord of Your Apartment Rental if Necessary
The bottom line is a lease is a financial agreement. Sure, you’re renting a student rental in Athens Ohio with your best friends. It’s supposed to be fun. But at the end of the day, you are agreeing to share living space and expenses with your roommates. Without a legal agreement, you don’t have much legal recourse to rely on if things go sour.
If a roommate needs out of a lease and you have a replacement, talk to the landlord. Chances are, they will be willing to work with you if you are being open about it. They may be able to start with a new lease with the new roommates name. This way everything’s above board. It’s a better approach to leasing an apartment in Athens Ohio.