What are landlord's options if two tenants are equally responsible for rent and one tenant moves?

Full question:

Landlord A leases an apartment to Tenant A and Tenant B. The rent is $800.00 and Tenant A and Tenant B agree that each of them will pay half ($400.00). The following month when rent is due, Tenant B pays $400.00, but Tenant A is unable to pay. Tenant A and Tenant B have a fight and Tenant A moves out leaving the total rent obligation unfulfilled. Who is responsible for paying the rent? What are Landlord A's options?

Answer:

As tenants, once you have signed the lease you are responsible for getting all the money to the landlord, even if you have already paid your share. The landlord is not interested in how the rent is divided. The only interest of the landlord is that all of the rent is paid. If the landlord does not get all of the money, in some jurisdictions the lease can be terminated, the tenants can be evicted and the landlord could possibly take other actions like lockout, terminate utilities, and take tenant property (lien).

This content is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Legal statutes mentioned reflect the law at the time the content was written and may no longer be current. Always verify the latest version of the law before relying on it.

FAQs

A lease where a tenant pays rent along with some ownership charges is often referred to as a 'gross lease' or 'full-service lease.' In this arrangement, the landlord typically covers property expenses like maintenance, taxes, and insurance, while the tenant pays a single rental amount. This type of lease can simplify budgeting for tenants since they have a clear understanding of their total costs.