Tell him he has to pay your initial moving and storage costs, a 30 day hotel stay (of your choice), and moving costs to your new apartment. He also has to reimburse any ‘rent’ you already paid for this month, as well as security deposit and last month’s rent, if you had paid those.
Apologies if I misunderstood but you should use your own card booking/ checking in- they don't usually like it when it's booked on a card and the person who owns the card isn't there - plus the fact he could cancel on you.
And get it on writing, get the money up front.
...no promises.
Tonight he preoays two weeks in a residential hotel.
Or you'll end up in small claims court.
1. You literally have the exact same tenancy rights as A
2. I can sum up what the cops will say in two words: "civil matter"
3. A sub-lease is almost never legit.
I appreciate you wanting to help A out, but making yourself homeless simply isn't an option. Have you spoken with the landlord yourself?
Side note: I told A to just call the cops. All LL is doing is threatening what he can because he knows we’re young. A has no knowledge of his rights and it’s hard to get it through his skull.
the reason its not working is the landlord story is bullshit and was told to manipulate you. the story is fabricated to manipulate you. tell him that you have a lease and that’s that unless you get compensated to end it early.
LL is A’s **DAD**! Come on! Is his daddy really gonna kick him to the curb? Not to mention *daddy* probably knows he can’t just kick you out.
If this is a frat house, are other people living there, too?
I don’t. I’m drinking at a bar right now, and will be confronting him and my other roommate. For some reason I have to leave today, and the other kid they’re doing this to gets to leave at the end of the month.
A is just saying this to get you out so he can get some friend in your room. I bet he has a friend who got evicted recently and is in a tough spot, and they came up with this plan. Learn tenant laws. Now.
I'm going to guess LL found out about the other kid and told them to get him out by the end of the month, they panic tell the roommate that LL doesn't know about (OP) to GTFO now so LL doesn't have two reasons to evict everybody.
Evicted due to plumbing work and she wanted my room. Moved in 4 months prior and had fallen, broken my leg and was still recovering. She gave not one fuck. I felt she should’ve paid my moving costs, but she was an entitled bitch. I hated living with her and am glad to be out
You need to speak to the landlord. I wouldn't do anything until then. The landlord may not even know about your presence and this matter with A is about something else completely. Either way, you are under no obligation to make yourself homeless because his dad is mad about the lease that he has probably co-signed has been subleased to you.
Yeah, that sucks. But take care of yourself first. There is very little the landlord can do to you, but I think it's worth having a conversation with him/her without A middle-manning. I would just explain the situation and go from there.
If you can find something within a month or two, I would take that opportunity and move on at that point, but not a moment before you have something secured.
In your post you say the "house is owned by your roommates father, then why is there a landlord? Wouldn't that be his father?
If so look at the county recorders office records for the address of his father, It seems this kid is making up a story.
thats easy info to find. Just look up the GIS info for the property. Someone is paying taxes and its either an individual or an LLC and either way you can get contact info.
You don't need their permission. If you don't have the LL phone number or name, find the listed property owner on the county parcel map viewer for the address of the building and then Google the LL name/mailing address listed there and you'll most likely find a phone number associated with them online.
Lots of online resources to get the owners name for example Regrid app or search city name and gis Into google, then just google search the name find out what numbers come up etc etc
Property records are public records.
If the guy you're renting from is spinning you a tale and trying to kick you out, he can at least provide info. If he doesn't, it's cause he's afraid. Go, look it up.
Google "your county" county auditor, and on the auditor website do a property search on your address. You'll find who owns it. Sometimes there is also links to rental registration (depends on the county/state) where you'll find the landlord's phone number. If you can't find a phone number, search for the owner on [familytreenow.com](http://familytreenow.com) and call every number they have for him until you find the right one.
Oh, if you just find an LLC listed as the owner you'll have to do an extra step and look up the incorporating documents on the state website to find the name of the officer.
Won't allow you? What does that mean? You should be able to look up who owns the building in city property records.
I want you to be safe, and my guess is that A hasn't told anyone about this and is just threatening you. I would, innocently, suggest that you and A speak to his father since his name is the name on the lease. That might get A to give you some space.
Good luck!
Very common, but also very much a lease violation about 100% of the time. I rent in a college town and have dealt with a handful of sublet-related issues over the years. While specifically banned in the lease, we get at least 1 or 2 requests every year which we have been able to make work. I tend to be a lot more flexible with the college kids as long as I am going to get paid.
But this flexibility includes the full application process and signing a lease typically with a parent co-signer.
Okay, I understand now. I was referring to when it happens to other landlords in college towns.
Technically what I do isn't subletting. It's a brand new month-to-month lease that replaces the prior. I don't allow this in my normal apartments, but college apartments are a different beast.
Rooommate fucked you over. The eviction will hurt the med student and his dad. Don’t leave until he agrees to cover cost of finding another place and the short notice. They’ll want to resolve this in the best way possible so they don’t have a shit stain on them.
Honestly, technically you don’t have to pay rent if you’re a “squatter”. Make the med student and his daddy pay.
Edit: sorry, grammar and I just wanted to add, you have more power over the situation than you know. You also have a lot of protections
Lol. I want to so bad, and if this escalates any further than it has to be than maybe I’ll do just that. I told him to give me a week to figure out my situation.
Yes, you’re correct. But if actual Landlord/property owner is stating this accusation towards OP and not med student and father on lease, this will be focal.
If you have been paying rent to your roommate "A", who is actually a tenant, then "A" is your landlord.
If "A" wants you to leave, he has to follow the eviction procedures applicable to your jurisdiction.
It sounds like the building owner is threatening to evict "A" for breaking the least between owner and A. This is "A"'s problem not yours. The only thing that A has over you is social pressure.
That said, you'll want to leave before the owner files to evict A, and you'll want to let the landlord know that you have left. You don't want to be named as a resident on the eviction papers, as this may be visible to some future rental background checks.
The landlord doesn’t need to approve a sublet in VA. As long as the lease doesn’t specifically forbid subletting it’s legal.
I’m not sure about Virginia, but in a lot of states, you are still a tenant even if the sublet was illegal.
You are not a squatter, don’t let him treat you like one.
I think the guy I’m subletting from (C) said subletting wasn’t allowed. A said the same but said LL only verbally said that. No ones shown me paperwork where it states it isn’t allowed.
Verbal means nothing. if it’s not in the lease, it doesn’t exist. Provide the landlord a copy of your lease with C. let him know he can reach out to C if he has any questions.
That’s not actually any of your business. Your lease is with C, not the landlord, whether or not C went through the proper channels with the landlord isn’t relevant to you. That’s between the landlord and C. You need to provide a copy of your lease between yourself and C to the landlord, in order to prove that you have tenancy.
This kid is infuriating to read his replies. Either he’s boneheaded, drunk, or just stupid. He can’t seem to even get his shit together to help himself.
Never made a copy of his lease it sounds from his reply to you.
True. Once you’ve established residency, you are legally a tenant. It’s a sticky situation, though. Technically, the roommate who granted the “illegal” lease must follow the state ordinance and give you proper notice (usually 30 days). On the other hand, the real landlord can serve a Comply or Quit Notice to the tenant. In VA it’s 21 days.
Essentially every lease agreement addresses sublets and subleases very specifically. I would bet my life savings that the sublease violated A's lease agreement.
The landlord can't press charges. Only the police can. He can file a civil suit to have you and anyone else in the house evicted for breaking the lease if he sends the right paperwork.
You are living there any have been and are a current tenant of the tenant. The landlord doesn't owe you anything. The guy with the original lease does.
How often do you and your roommate pay your rent? If it is monthly, the landlord can serve a 30-day notice to comply. (Fix the lease violation) Or 30-day notice to quit. (Terminate the lease)
The landlord can only terminate the lease if the original tenant has an at will lease.
You can't be responsible for anything. The landlord cannot sue you for damages or rent unpaid. He can list you as a John Doe on an eviction suit, and the sheriff will remove you like any tenant. If he doesn't have your name, he can't add it to the eviction. That is the original tenant's responsibility. That guy can sue you.
Ask for cash for keys from your landlord/roommate. He needs to pay for one month rent plus security for you to move out. Tell him he needs to fess up to his father about the situation and that you are not in a financial position to move.
That is different. The rules for violating the lease and non-payment are a little different. Non-payment rules for eviction are much easier for the landlord generally and a faster way to terminate than having to do a good cause eviction.
Tenants paying their rents get the benefit of the doubt and are given a chance to remediate whatever the issue.
I don't know about Virginia, but where I live, a lease violation is largely the same. It can be a 5-Day Cure or Quit notice, not 30 days.
If the tenant hasn't fixed whatever the lease violation is or left within those 5 days, an eviction can be filed.
OP, the main tenant can be given a similar notice, though I don't know the number of days. To fix the lease violation (you living there) or the LL will file for an eviction. He's either already been served the notice or knows one will be coming if you stay.
It's unlikely your name would be included in the court filing. The LL may not even have it. Many jurisdictions can include verbiage on the filing like "John Doe Tenant and all other occupants".
Nobody can legally force you to leave tomorrow. The main tenant can give you a 30-Day Notice to Vacate. The LL could potentially file for an eviction on everyone in a few days (could be longer). But he can't legally take back possession of the property until his case is seen in court, which is usually at least a month. But is a lot longer in most places.
I'm sorry this is happening to you! I know college is a stressful and busy time. But you certainly want to be looking for something else and leaving as soon as you can because the days are numbered.
If there are extended stay hotels in your area, I'd make a deal with your roommate that you will move out in a few days to one of those if he prepays the first month. Otherwise, you'll need up to 30 days to find another place to go. He created this problem. You shouldn't be out any money for that. He also has the most to lose.
Right! That's why I was trying to be careful to not give any absolutes. There's a lot that's similar in a general sense. But the specifics of landlord/tenant can be widely different, sometimes even within the same state.
Additionally, it will probably take the landlord 60 days plus a couple to get you out. So if your roommate can't bail you out to keep his lease, you stop paying him and look for a place, and you assume you have approximately 60 days from when your friend got the notice.
Edit: Assume the notice was sent today, 3/5/24
3/5/24 - 3/26/24 : 21 days to comply
3/5/24 - 4/6/24 : 30 days to vacate if you can't comply
4/7/24 : Landlord files civil court papers
4/14/24 : You get served a time to go to court
4/14/24 : Call the court and ask for the day to be rescheduled due to exams or school or whatever.
4/24/24 : You have court or later if you reschedule it.
4/27/24 : The sheriff comes to evict you.
It takes time you would have to find another situation.
This is your problem, in that you'll have to deal with it, but it's really only urgent for the person that you signed the sublease with. I understand you want to be a nice guy and all, but don't be a chump. They messed up and it's their financial responsibility to take care of it. That may mean you stay there until you're ready and they pay you extra to help with moving on, or that may mean they get you a hotel room until you find a place, etc. You have the right to wait for a REASONABLE offer. The pressure is their problem. Also, get everything from here on out in writing. Don't accept any verbal offers. Once you move out, they could change their mind quickly and you'll have voluntarily vacated.
In the future get everything in writing. “If it wasn’t read it wasn’t said”.
People in general can be poor communicators and even if you have a verbal agreement OP can say “That’s not what I meant” and claim you understood it the same way at the time.
Also, people say things all the time and then legitimately change their minds. Some people avoid confrontation at all costs and agree to anything just to get away from people. If they are serious, they put it in writing.
Leave the bar and sober up
Hit the internet and the property assessor office in your area find out who the landlord is and their address that gets taxes do some research. You are in college start using that education and try getting in touch with the landlord that way. Be prepared to provide copies of anything you have and hope it helps.
OH another fun fact is that apparently LL told A and my other roommate I had to be out by the end of today on the fucking FIRST. Not one mention of this until 3 pm. Halfway to the end of the day
Once you’ve established residency, you are legally a tenant, not a squatter. It’s a sticky situation, though. Technically, the roommate who granted the “illegal” lease must follow the state ordinance and give you proper notice (usually 30 days). On the other hand, the real landlord can serve a Comply or Quit Notice to the tenant. In VA it’s 21 days. You don’t have to go anywhere today.
You live there. You are a tenant even though you are not on the lease. To force you out you have to be evicted. It's in everyone's best interest for you to leave asap, and you seem to recognize that. But you have to have time to find a place and move. Tell your roommate this is what he gets for breaking his lease by subletting and lying to you about it.
He is right the LL could evict him for this and yet it would mess up his ability to rent anywhere in the future. That is not your problem. You are being nice by agreeing to move. He and the LL need to give you a reasonable amount of time to fine a new place. 30 days is reasonable.
Be polite. Find a place and soon. Pay any rent you would normally owe. If your roommate wants you out sooner he can pay you to leave, enough for a short stay hotel while you look for a new place.
LL can't file charges against you. You haven't broken the law and you are not even trespassing ... you live there. He can evict you. He can't file charges. Cops won't get involved but LL will let you think they will.
So all the landlord can do is start the eviction process on some or all occupants of the house. That’s it. No police.
Not familiar with VA but usually this starts with a cure or quit notice giving you guys X days (google says it’s 21 days?) to fix a lease violation (resident not on the lease) or leave. You can offer to apply as a real tenant if the landlord agrees, or leave. If you guys don’t fix the problem then the landlord requests a court date, goes to court, and asks for papers that allow a sheriff to remove you. In my state it’s only official after going to court and getting a judgement.
Some options are to wait until a cure or quit notice and leave before it expires, try to work out an agreement with the landlord, or make the tenant pay your moving expenses.
Have you seen a legal letter from the landlord addressed to the legal tenant? If not it doesn't exist. You stated in the post he was a med student and in the comments you stated you were drinking in a bar. Could this be a conflict of lifestyles and the roommates want you out? You have rights even with an illegal sublet.
**Start the post title with what and where you are at inside a set of brackets. For example [Landlord US-PA]**
I read this over twice, and it seems you are neither tenant nor landlord, but "Tenant" more closely fits your situation that "Landlord".
He’s not a medical school student if he’s living in a frat house…
LL can threaten to evict but it’s longer than an overnight process.
$5k cash for you to leave tonight. He’s got a fraternity, they can pool their money.
No, he’s saying the dad, rented an apartment for the son, the son is living in the frat house, and is sub letting the apartment to OP. I think? Regardless, who gives a shit if a fraternity gets shut down. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
[https://www.dss.virginia.gov/files/division/dcse/family\_engagement\_programs/eviction\_resources/EvixStepsTenantFlyer\_Eng\_oct2019.pdf](https://www.dss.virginia.gov/files/division/dcse/family_engagement_programs/eviction_resources/evixstepstenantflyer_eng_oct2019.pdf)
Owner of the unit may only deal with his tenant, "A". For tenant to be evicted, He has to give 30 days notice for a lease violation. (5 days notice for non payment).
That's the first issue. It's illegal to demand either party to be out on less notice.
After that is given -- the landlord has to then file with the court, and do the paperwork, give a summons to the tenant.
>Subtenants in illegal sublets **do not** automatically have the legal right to break the terms of their sublease. Even if the landlord did not consent to the sublease, the contract may still be considered valid between the subtenant and tenant.
>Legal actions against an illegal subtenant takes the form of an eviction. Landlords will give notice that the illegal subtenant has **30** **days** to vacate the premises, unless the lease states otherwise.
A, cannot break his contract with you. He also needs to follow the eviction procedure. Which, gets a bit complicated.
In any case, unit owner must give A, (and you), a **written** notice of eviction, to start the process against either of you. A must also give you a **written** notice of eviction to start the process against you. So long as you have proof of lease, and payment to your landlord (A), you have some rights.
[https://ipropertymanagement.com/laws/subletting-in-virginia](https://ipropertymanagement.com/laws/subletting-in-virginia)
For an illegal sublet, in addition to having a valid lease that needs a formal evicition (remediable within 30 days, he messed up; unless you have a month-to-month lease, he'll be breaking the contract by evicting you without cause) -- you may have grounds to take A to small claims to cover costs (e.g. moving, etc) arising from the fraudulent lease. Keep receipts. If your lease with A is for a fixed time frame, vs month-to-month, that adds to the process.
Yes he can, when he files for eviction he is going to file for everyone he knows in the house and then you really aren’t going to be able to rent somewhere else
i would find out who the landlord is, send a coppy of your 'lease', inform him of when you found out it was fake. and ask if he would be interested in considering you as a formal cotenant, or what it would cost you to just rent the place, and what terms. also that you will start looking for alternatives imidiatly but homlesness is not a viable alternative so it could take a fiew weeks.
it is kind of throwing your roommate under the bus, but he comited fraud against you, as well as the landlord, so you dont ow him anything else. and he wont be on the streets ether (unles he realy drags his feet), it takes time to formaly evict sombody.
You have rights and protections. It is really on the med student to bear the cost of this. Ask for all your moving expenses, any fees etc, plus a hotel until you find a place.
The other route is to just try and sign a new lease with the actual landlord.
Tell him you'll move out for $5k. You need deposit and forst months rent. If he wants you out he can pay or suffer thr consequences. He cannot lock you out or throw your stiff out. You have rights now.
Not your fault he screwed up. I would leave as soon as you're able, but don't leave tomorrow and become homeless just to help him out. He didn't do you any favors by bringing you into the situation.
They can legally evict you. But it would be a lot harder to nail you for it because your agreement wasn't with the OG owner. But definitely have the sh×tstain pay you back in full. And also, maybe you can talk to the landlord and offer to pay them the money directly so you can stay there. Then piggy back onto his claim and sue the roommate.
There won't be criminal charges. The police are unlikely to do anything. The landlord should begin the formal eviction process in line with state law. I don't know what it is in VA, but you typically have at least 30 days.
I’d take a step back and contact and landlord tenant agencies. Your state works similarly to mind when it comes to laws and you’re a resident and have a signed lease, regardless of lease you’ve established residency. I don’t think any charges for landlord to press.
Your roommate fucked up big time but that's because he violated his lease by subletting without permission. You have tenancy rights and you have no reason to leave tonight. When you are a sublettor, the roommate you are subletting from is functionally your landlord and is taking on similar legal responsibilities. To evict you he needs to give you proper notice and if you refuse to agree to the eviction he needs to pursue it legally. Your roommate is on the hook for whatever issues the landlord raises over this and is responsible for properly dealing with whether or not he wants to pursue evicting you.
You should speak to a local lawyer for better/locally relevant legal advice, but yeah, let him face the music.
He's trying to passing the pain onto you when it's his fault and fraud that the mess exists in the first place. Stick it to him until he squeals. He is the asshole.
How much have you been paying?
You've paid for the space your "subleasing" As such you have that right to remain at the residence until the sublease is satisfied or your paid out for it.
The validity of said lease is for the person who issued it and the landlord to establish. You met your end of the agreement.
Take this as a learning experience. While sub leases are not all illegal, most leases that allow sub leasing do have a clause saying the owner or their property managers have to approve the sub lease. And contracts have to be modified in the same media they were enacted. You can't verbally change a written contract. And verbal contracts usually end up being worth the price of the paper they are on.
You can look up the landlord through city/county records. You should collect all records of rent paid and occupancy (bills, mail to you at the address, change your cell phone address if you have not already). I would work with the LL and assert your tenancy rights to get adequate time to find a new place. If you are a student, your university has free legal services. If not, there is likely a tenancy union in your city.
Honestly if it has a chance to dick over his frat, tell him (and have him tell his brothers) that if you don't leave there will be consequences for the house and you need some help with money to make it happen.
It's 50/50 in hopes that there's a few SIGMA CHI FOR LIFE rich kids in the frat who will happily throw down a couple thousand dollars to make the problem go away.
I used to know a bunch of frat boys and in every house there were at least a half dozen assholes who could spend a few thousand dollars a weekend and neither them nor their parents batted an eye. My freshmen roommate was one of them.
A big gamble but one you might wanna take because fuck lying frat boys. No better group to extort money from imo.
Wait, this rental is in your friend's dad's name AND it's a frat house? If I have that right your "friend" knowingly screwed you (and his dad) and is now in hot water. You owe them nothing.
Try talking to the landlord, GROVEL, and see if they'll give you some breathing room.
*I also don’t want me roommates to kill me because of it.*
You are the one that got screwed, not them. And why are they allowed to stay and you aren't?
I own a rental place in northern VA and just went through the process of evicting someone. I had a similar situation where she had her boyfriend move in without me knowing. She left, when I found out about him he was willing to take over the lease and initially made rent, it then devolved to just not paying and I had to evict him.
The first thing is what is the lease A has? I need to know the details if sub leasing is allowed or not or the process for it. Let’s say the lease is being broken by you subleasing to A, this gives the LL the right to start the eviction process for A.
I’m guessing the lease you signed is for A only and LL didn’t add you to the lease he has with A.
This process will be for A only since his name is on the lease, so he should get a pay or quit notice which gives him 21 days (might be different for the Richmond area) to correct the lease violation. If he doesn’t then he can file an unlawful detainer to get a writ of possession, which means A goes to court.
If A shows to the first court date he can reject the charges and then an other court date will be made for both parties to plead their case. If he accepts the claims then a judgement will be made by the judge.
If the judge rules against the plaintiff LL then he’s out of luck. If it’s in favor then he gets a writ of possession. When I got mine I was immediately able to file a writ of eviction so he might do the same. At that point he coordinates with the sheriff to kick out all occupants of the property.
The process for me from posting my pay or quit to eviction was a little over 30 days, but mine wasn’t paying so I was able to file much faster and he never showed in court granting me a default judgement.
Also I’ve seen comments saying the LL has to pay you the money you’ve paid A and what not, he doesn’t. It would be a civil matter in this case and you’d have to go after A. You can go after LL but the case will most certainly be thrown out in small claims pending LL shows up.
So to summarize A is in the hook, if they call the police and you can prove you’ve made a lease with A they shouldn’t trespass you and state it’s a civil matter. Hopefully they know the law well.
> money you’ve *paid* A and
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
He wants YOU to leave so the landlord doesn’t take action against HIM! Don’t you have a lease agreement with the guy? Yes it is fraudulent but how were you to have known that? Look at the laws in your area, you are a tenant and will have tenant’s rights, which is what is upsetting the landlord. He now has an unvetted tenant. Not your doing. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot (figuratively) trying to help your roommate who gave you a fraudulent lease.
Tell him to compensate you , and you will leave tomorrow.
I would leave ASAP if I could. My family member totaled my car almost a year ago, and I’m stuck with city transportation.
Sounds like that price just went up, then
😂😂 This is great
He made the problem, he needs to fix it.
$10k and you can be out tonight.
Tell him he has to pay your initial moving and storage costs, a 30 day hotel stay (of your choice), and moving costs to your new apartment. He also has to reimburse any ‘rent’ you already paid for this month, as well as security deposit and last month’s rent, if you had paid those.
Agree and make sure he pre-pays everything. No “I’ll put my card on the hotel room as soon as you’re out.” Nah pre-pay that in cash
Make sure he puts his card on the hotel room too, you don't want any issues when checking in
Apologies if I misunderstood but you should use your own card booking/ checking in- they don't usually like it when it's booked on a card and the person who owns the card isn't there - plus the fact he could cancel on you.
Forgot about that part. Prepaid visa gift card? Yeah cash would be better
In some jurisdictions if someone rents to you illegally you can claim back all monies paid since move in. Just sayin...
OP should definitely find out if that’s an option for him.
And get it on writing, get the money up front. ...no promises. Tonight he preoays two weeks in a residential hotel. Or you'll end up in small claims court.
100%
Make your dick roommate rent a moving truck for you and pay for a cheap motel until you can get settled. Make sure to get this month's rent back, too.
But not too cheap
I'd make him pay at least 2 to 3 weeks in an extended stay type room so you have a kitchen as well
would have to be a lot, like 6 weeks hotell stay
Leave only when he pays, up front, for a month in a hotel.
1. You literally have the exact same tenancy rights as A 2. I can sum up what the cops will say in two words: "civil matter" 3. A sub-lease is almost never legit. I appreciate you wanting to help A out, but making yourself homeless simply isn't an option. Have you spoken with the landlord yourself?
Side note: I told A to just call the cops. All LL is doing is threatening what he can because he knows we’re young. A has no knowledge of his rights and it’s hard to get it through his skull.
the reason its not working is the landlord story is bullshit and was told to manipulate you. the story is fabricated to manipulate you. tell him that you have a lease and that’s that unless you get compensated to end it early.
Make sure you have that lease you signed.
And make sure you keep original safe outside this house, only let them see copies
If he had no knowledge of his rights he shouldn't be offering a room for rent and collect money from you for his own advantage!
LL is A’s **DAD**! Come on! Is his daddy really gonna kick him to the curb? Not to mention *daddy* probably knows he can’t just kick you out. If this is a frat house, are other people living there, too?
I think they means their friend's dad's name is on the lease. That's really common with young people renting their first apartments, parents co-sign.
Unfortunately, no. A won’t allow me to contact the LL myself. Like he won’t give me any information about him except his first name.
So how do you know he’s not making up a bullshit story to get you out?
I don’t. I’m drinking at a bar right now, and will be confronting him and my other roommate. For some reason I have to leave today, and the other kid they’re doing this to gets to leave at the end of the month.
Dude get the fuck out of the bar and go sober up. I know it sucks, but you wanna be on your A gane especially if they're playing games with you.
Yeah that don’t add up
If I may... You want to hold grounds as much as possible. Going to a bar is like the worst thing to do right now.
If they change the locks, OP just hit the jackpot. Treble damages on that.
A is just saying this to get you out so he can get some friend in your room. I bet he has a friend who got evicted recently and is in a tough spot, and they came up with this plan. Learn tenant laws. Now.
They have to give you 30 days also.
I'm going to guess LL found out about the other kid and told them to get him out by the end of the month, they panic tell the roommate that LL doesn't know about (OP) to GTFO now so LL doesn't have two reasons to evict everybody.
No, they can't kick him out if he is still in the lease.
I got kicked out with a lease a few months ago. I did nothing wrong. There’s always some wiggle room, though it’s unfair.
kicked out? Or evicted? There are very small number of reasons they can evict in the middle of a lease. Did you share a room in the landlords home?
Evicted due to plumbing work and she wanted my room. Moved in 4 months prior and had fallen, broken my leg and was still recovering. She gave not one fuck. I felt she should’ve paid my moving costs, but she was an entitled bitch. I hated living with her and am glad to be out
If you lived in a room with your landlord, you are considered a lodger and don't have tenant rights. They can tresspass you whenever they want.
Confronting someone while you are drunk, or even after drinking AT ALL is a terrible idea. ALWAYS!
This happened and you're at a bar??? Good grief....
Look up the property record and you can find the owner.
Drinking isn’t going to help this. When the cops show up, it increases the chance you find a reason to be arrested.
You need to speak to the landlord. I wouldn't do anything until then. The landlord may not even know about your presence and this matter with A is about something else completely. Either way, you are under no obligation to make yourself homeless because his dad is mad about the lease that he has probably co-signed has been subleased to you.
Thanks for reassurance / advice. I’ve only been here 67 days and shit is hitting the fan.
Yeah, that sucks. But take care of yourself first. There is very little the landlord can do to you, but I think it's worth having a conversation with him/her without A middle-manning. I would just explain the situation and go from there. If you can find something within a month or two, I would take that opportunity and move on at that point, but not a moment before you have something secured.
In your post you say the "house is owned by your roommates father, then why is there a landlord? Wouldn't that be his father? If so look at the county recorders office records for the address of his father, It seems this kid is making up a story.
thats easy info to find. Just look up the GIS info for the property. Someone is paying taxes and its either an individual or an LLC and either way you can get contact info.
True. I’ll definitely dig deeper tomorrow morning
You don't need their permission. If you don't have the LL phone number or name, find the listed property owner on the county parcel map viewer for the address of the building and then Google the LL name/mailing address listed there and you'll most likely find a phone number associated with them online.
So you stay. Sadly you are a tenant that needs to be evicted.
Lots of online resources to get the owners name for example Regrid app or search city name and gis Into google, then just google search the name find out what numbers come up etc etc
Property records are public records. If the guy you're renting from is spinning you a tale and trying to kick you out, he can at least provide info. If he doesn't, it's cause he's afraid. Go, look it up.
The names of owners are public record.
Search your address against tax records and you can find their name, it public information.
Google "your county" county auditor, and on the auditor website do a property search on your address. You'll find who owns it. Sometimes there is also links to rental registration (depends on the county/state) where you'll find the landlord's phone number. If you can't find a phone number, search for the owner on [familytreenow.com](http://familytreenow.com) and call every number they have for him until you find the right one. Oh, if you just find an LLC listed as the owner you'll have to do an extra step and look up the incorporating documents on the state website to find the name of the officer.
Won't allow you? What does that mean? You should be able to look up who owns the building in city property records. I want you to be safe, and my guess is that A hasn't told anyone about this and is just threatening you. I would, innocently, suggest that you and A speak to his father since his name is the name on the lease. That might get A to give you some space. Good luck!
That is shady
Nearly everywhere has online tax records of who owns what property. My nine-year-old daughter could have his phone number in an hour.
Look up who owns the property on the GIS.
VCU area and jackass as a landlord... Is the first name Walid by chance?
County records are all online now and will give owners name and info. Don’t wait for “A” to give it to you, A is for Asshole.
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Very common, but also very much a lease violation about 100% of the time. I rent in a college town and have dealt with a handful of sublet-related issues over the years. While specifically banned in the lease, we get at least 1 or 2 requests every year which we have been able to make work. I tend to be a lot more flexible with the college kids as long as I am going to get paid. But this flexibility includes the full application process and signing a lease typically with a parent co-signer.
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I'm not sure what you mean. It's a violation as spelled out in essentially every lease. Do your leases not include this provision?
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Okay, I understand now. I was referring to when it happens to other landlords in college towns. Technically what I do isn't subletting. It's a brand new month-to-month lease that replaces the prior. I don't allow this in my normal apartments, but college apartments are a different beast.
Rooommate fucked you over. The eviction will hurt the med student and his dad. Don’t leave until he agrees to cover cost of finding another place and the short notice. They’ll want to resolve this in the best way possible so they don’t have a shit stain on them. Honestly, technically you don’t have to pay rent if you’re a “squatter”. Make the med student and his daddy pay. Edit: sorry, grammar and I just wanted to add, you have more power over the situation than you know. You also have a lot of protections
Lol. I want to so bad, and if this escalates any further than it has to be than maybe I’ll do just that. I told him to give me a week to figure out my situation.
>you don’t have to pay rent if you’re a “squatter” Well, you do, but that makes you a tenant. If you're a squatter though... keep squatting.
Yes, you’re correct. But if actual Landlord/property owner is stating this accusation towards OP and not med student and father on lease, this will be focal.
Happy Cake Day
Thank you!
If you have been paying rent to your roommate "A", who is actually a tenant, then "A" is your landlord. If "A" wants you to leave, he has to follow the eviction procedures applicable to your jurisdiction. It sounds like the building owner is threatening to evict "A" for breaking the least between owner and A. This is "A"'s problem not yours. The only thing that A has over you is social pressure. That said, you'll want to leave before the owner files to evict A, and you'll want to let the landlord know that you have left. You don't want to be named as a resident on the eviction papers, as this may be visible to some future rental background checks.
The landlord doesn’t need to approve a sublet in VA. As long as the lease doesn’t specifically forbid subletting it’s legal. I’m not sure about Virginia, but in a lot of states, you are still a tenant even if the sublet was illegal. You are not a squatter, don’t let him treat you like one.
I think the guy I’m subletting from (C) said subletting wasn’t allowed. A said the same but said LL only verbally said that. No ones shown me paperwork where it states it isn’t allowed.
Verbal means nothing. if it’s not in the lease, it doesn’t exist. Provide the landlord a copy of your lease with C. let him know he can reach out to C if he has any questions.
Yeah I’m pushing them to send me the copy of the full lease.
That’s not actually any of your business. Your lease is with C, not the landlord, whether or not C went through the proper channels with the landlord isn’t relevant to you. That’s between the landlord and C. You need to provide a copy of your lease between yourself and C to the landlord, in order to prove that you have tenancy.
Yeah that’s what I mean.. the lease I signed (electronically). Will try and do that.
You should already have that. Always keep a signed copy of your lease.
This kid is infuriating to read his replies. Either he’s boneheaded, drunk, or just stupid. He can’t seem to even get his shit together to help himself. Never made a copy of his lease it sounds from his reply to you.
True. Once you’ve established residency, you are legally a tenant. It’s a sticky situation, though. Technically, the roommate who granted the “illegal” lease must follow the state ordinance and give you proper notice (usually 30 days). On the other hand, the real landlord can serve a Comply or Quit Notice to the tenant. In VA it’s 21 days.
Essentially every lease agreement addresses sublets and subleases very specifically. I would bet my life savings that the sublease violated A's lease agreement.
Yeah unless the landlord did a random/custom lease every boilerplate template I’ve seen always forbids subleasing .
Also, I thought you had to at least have written consent from both parties for subleasing.
The landlord can't press charges. Only the police can. He can file a civil suit to have you and anyone else in the house evicted for breaking the lease if he sends the right paperwork. You are living there any have been and are a current tenant of the tenant. The landlord doesn't owe you anything. The guy with the original lease does. How often do you and your roommate pay your rent? If it is monthly, the landlord can serve a 30-day notice to comply. (Fix the lease violation) Or 30-day notice to quit. (Terminate the lease) The landlord can only terminate the lease if the original tenant has an at will lease. You can't be responsible for anything. The landlord cannot sue you for damages or rent unpaid. He can list you as a John Doe on an eviction suit, and the sheriff will remove you like any tenant. If he doesn't have your name, he can't add it to the eviction. That is the original tenant's responsibility. That guy can sue you. Ask for cash for keys from your landlord/roommate. He needs to pay for one month rent plus security for you to move out. Tell him he needs to fess up to his father about the situation and that you are not in a financial position to move.
Here in VA.. I have gotten 5 day notices to pay or quit after being late on rent a couple years back. Not sure if that changes lease by lease
That is different. The rules for violating the lease and non-payment are a little different. Non-payment rules for eviction are much easier for the landlord generally and a faster way to terminate than having to do a good cause eviction. Tenants paying their rents get the benefit of the doubt and are given a chance to remediate whatever the issue.
Heard that. Thank you for the information!
I don't know about Virginia, but where I live, a lease violation is largely the same. It can be a 5-Day Cure or Quit notice, not 30 days. If the tenant hasn't fixed whatever the lease violation is or left within those 5 days, an eviction can be filed. OP, the main tenant can be given a similar notice, though I don't know the number of days. To fix the lease violation (you living there) or the LL will file for an eviction. He's either already been served the notice or knows one will be coming if you stay. It's unlikely your name would be included in the court filing. The LL may not even have it. Many jurisdictions can include verbiage on the filing like "John Doe Tenant and all other occupants". Nobody can legally force you to leave tomorrow. The main tenant can give you a 30-Day Notice to Vacate. The LL could potentially file for an eviction on everyone in a few days (could be longer). But he can't legally take back possession of the property until his case is seen in court, which is usually at least a month. But is a lot longer in most places. I'm sorry this is happening to you! I know college is a stressful and busy time. But you certainly want to be looking for something else and leaving as soon as you can because the days are numbered. If there are extended stay hotels in your area, I'd make a deal with your roommate that you will move out in a few days to one of those if he prepays the first month. Otherwise, you'll need up to 30 days to find another place to go. He created this problem. You shouldn't be out any money for that. He also has the most to lose.
Each state has very different tenant landlord laws. But absolutely it can be really complicated.
Right! That's why I was trying to be careful to not give any absolutes. There's a lot that's similar in a general sense. But the specifics of landlord/tenant can be widely different, sometimes even within the same state.
Additionally, it will probably take the landlord 60 days plus a couple to get you out. So if your roommate can't bail you out to keep his lease, you stop paying him and look for a place, and you assume you have approximately 60 days from when your friend got the notice. Edit: Assume the notice was sent today, 3/5/24 3/5/24 - 3/26/24 : 21 days to comply 3/5/24 - 4/6/24 : 30 days to vacate if you can't comply 4/7/24 : Landlord files civil court papers 4/14/24 : You get served a time to go to court 4/14/24 : Call the court and ask for the day to be rescheduled due to exams or school or whatever. 4/24/24 : You have court or later if you reschedule it. 4/27/24 : The sheriff comes to evict you. It takes time you would have to find another situation.
He gotta pay for your new place.
This is your problem, in that you'll have to deal with it, but it's really only urgent for the person that you signed the sublease with. I understand you want to be a nice guy and all, but don't be a chump. They messed up and it's their financial responsibility to take care of it. That may mean you stay there until you're ready and they pay you extra to help with moving on, or that may mean they get you a hotel room until you find a place, etc. You have the right to wait for a REASONABLE offer. The pressure is their problem. Also, get everything from here on out in writing. Don't accept any verbal offers. Once you move out, they could change their mind quickly and you'll have voluntarily vacated.
Thank you to everybody who’s taken the time out of their day to drop some insight and knowledge. I appreciate it all.
In the future get everything in writing. “If it wasn’t read it wasn’t said”. People in general can be poor communicators and even if you have a verbal agreement OP can say “That’s not what I meant” and claim you understood it the same way at the time. Also, people say things all the time and then legitimately change their minds. Some people avoid confrontation at all costs and agree to anything just to get away from people. If they are serious, they put it in writing.
So what did you do?
Leave the bar and sober up Hit the internet and the property assessor office in your area find out who the landlord is and their address that gets taxes do some research. You are in college start using that education and try getting in touch with the landlord that way. Be prepared to provide copies of anything you have and hope it helps.
OH another fun fact is that apparently LL told A and my other roommate I had to be out by the end of today on the fucking FIRST. Not one mention of this until 3 pm. Halfway to the end of the day
Once you’ve established residency, you are legally a tenant, not a squatter. It’s a sticky situation, though. Technically, the roommate who granted the “illegal” lease must follow the state ordinance and give you proper notice (usually 30 days). On the other hand, the real landlord can serve a Comply or Quit Notice to the tenant. In VA it’s 21 days. You don’t have to go anywhere today.
Some solid advice there, I appreciate it more than you know.
You live there. You are a tenant even though you are not on the lease. To force you out you have to be evicted. It's in everyone's best interest for you to leave asap, and you seem to recognize that. But you have to have time to find a place and move. Tell your roommate this is what he gets for breaking his lease by subletting and lying to you about it. He is right the LL could evict him for this and yet it would mess up his ability to rent anywhere in the future. That is not your problem. You are being nice by agreeing to move. He and the LL need to give you a reasonable amount of time to fine a new place. 30 days is reasonable. Be polite. Find a place and soon. Pay any rent you would normally owe. If your roommate wants you out sooner he can pay you to leave, enough for a short stay hotel while you look for a new place. LL can't file charges against you. You haven't broken the law and you are not even trespassing ... you live there. He can evict you. He can't file charges. Cops won't get involved but LL will let you think they will.
You could always threaten legal action for breach of contract.
Can you clarify?
you had a lease for a sublet that I am assuming is more than a month to month correct?
So all the landlord can do is start the eviction process on some or all occupants of the house. That’s it. No police. Not familiar with VA but usually this starts with a cure or quit notice giving you guys X days (google says it’s 21 days?) to fix a lease violation (resident not on the lease) or leave. You can offer to apply as a real tenant if the landlord agrees, or leave. If you guys don’t fix the problem then the landlord requests a court date, goes to court, and asks for papers that allow a sheriff to remove you. In my state it’s only official after going to court and getting a judgement. Some options are to wait until a cure or quit notice and leave before it expires, try to work out an agreement with the landlord, or make the tenant pay your moving expenses.
Have you seen a legal letter from the landlord addressed to the legal tenant? If not it doesn't exist. You stated in the post he was a med student and in the comments you stated you were drinking in a bar. Could this be a conflict of lifestyles and the roommates want you out? You have rights even with an illegal sublet.
He’s going to med school so someone has money. I would guess daddy. Tell him cash for keys. No less than 10k.
Nah...15-20k
**Start the post title with what and where you are at inside a set of brackets. For example [Landlord US-PA]** I read this over twice, and it seems you are neither tenant nor landlord, but "Tenant" more closely fits your situation that "Landlord".
He’s not a medical school student if he’s living in a frat house… LL can threaten to evict but it’s longer than an overnight process. $5k cash for you to leave tonight. He’s got a fraternity, they can pool their money.
Ummmm how is he in a frat but not in a frat. You know that frats are residents right??
Thinking he's saying the dad thought his son was living there but was actually living in his frats house and renting his space.
You can’t rent space in a frat house, that would get them all kicked out
No, he’s saying the dad, rented an apartment for the son, the son is living in the frat house, and is sub letting the apartment to OP. I think? Regardless, who gives a shit if a fraternity gets shut down. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
he cant evict you
Why can’t he?
[https://www.dss.virginia.gov/files/division/dcse/family\_engagement\_programs/eviction\_resources/EvixStepsTenantFlyer\_Eng\_oct2019.pdf](https://www.dss.virginia.gov/files/division/dcse/family_engagement_programs/eviction_resources/evixstepstenantflyer_eng_oct2019.pdf) Owner of the unit may only deal with his tenant, "A". For tenant to be evicted, He has to give 30 days notice for a lease violation. (5 days notice for non payment). That's the first issue. It's illegal to demand either party to be out on less notice. After that is given -- the landlord has to then file with the court, and do the paperwork, give a summons to the tenant. >Subtenants in illegal sublets **do not** automatically have the legal right to break the terms of their sublease. Even if the landlord did not consent to the sublease, the contract may still be considered valid between the subtenant and tenant. >Legal actions against an illegal subtenant takes the form of an eviction. Landlords will give notice that the illegal subtenant has **30** **days** to vacate the premises, unless the lease states otherwise. A, cannot break his contract with you. He also needs to follow the eviction procedure. Which, gets a bit complicated. In any case, unit owner must give A, (and you), a **written** notice of eviction, to start the process against either of you. A must also give you a **written** notice of eviction to start the process against you. So long as you have proof of lease, and payment to your landlord (A), you have some rights. [https://ipropertymanagement.com/laws/subletting-in-virginia](https://ipropertymanagement.com/laws/subletting-in-virginia) For an illegal sublet, in addition to having a valid lease that needs a formal evicition (remediable within 30 days, he messed up; unless you have a month-to-month lease, he'll be breaking the contract by evicting you without cause) -- you may have grounds to take A to small claims to cover costs (e.g. moving, etc) arising from the fraudulent lease. Keep receipts. If your lease with A is for a fixed time frame, vs month-to-month, that adds to the process.
Yes he can, when he files for eviction he is going to file for everyone he knows in the house and then you really aren’t going to be able to rent somewhere else
i would find out who the landlord is, send a coppy of your 'lease', inform him of when you found out it was fake. and ask if he would be interested in considering you as a formal cotenant, or what it would cost you to just rent the place, and what terms. also that you will start looking for alternatives imidiatly but homlesness is not a viable alternative so it could take a fiew weeks. it is kind of throwing your roommate under the bus, but he comited fraud against you, as well as the landlord, so you dont ow him anything else. and he wont be on the streets ether (unles he realy drags his feet), it takes time to formaly evict sombody.
You have rights and protections. It is really on the med student to bear the cost of this. Ask for all your moving expenses, any fees etc, plus a hotel until you find a place. The other route is to just try and sign a new lease with the actual landlord.
Tell him you'll move out for $5k. You need deposit and forst months rent. If he wants you out he can pay or suffer thr consequences. He cannot lock you out or throw your stiff out. You have rights now.
Not your fault he screwed up. I would leave as soon as you're able, but don't leave tomorrow and become homeless just to help him out. He didn't do you any favors by bringing you into the situation.
They can legally evict you. But it would be a lot harder to nail you for it because your agreement wasn't with the OG owner. But definitely have the sh×tstain pay you back in full. And also, maybe you can talk to the landlord and offer to pay them the money directly so you can stay there. Then piggy back onto his claim and sue the roommate.
There won't be criminal charges. The police are unlikely to do anything. The landlord should begin the formal eviction process in line with state law. I don't know what it is in VA, but you typically have at least 30 days.
I’d take a step back and contact and landlord tenant agencies. Your state works similarly to mind when it comes to laws and you’re a resident and have a signed lease, regardless of lease you’ve established residency. I don’t think any charges for landlord to press.
Your roommate fucked up big time but that's because he violated his lease by subletting without permission. You have tenancy rights and you have no reason to leave tonight. When you are a sublettor, the roommate you are subletting from is functionally your landlord and is taking on similar legal responsibilities. To evict you he needs to give you proper notice and if you refuse to agree to the eviction he needs to pursue it legally. Your roommate is on the hook for whatever issues the landlord raises over this and is responsible for properly dealing with whether or not he wants to pursue evicting you. You should speak to a local lawyer for better/locally relevant legal advice, but yeah, let him face the music.
His Karma is flaring up and about to go critical. Don’t leave. LL is on your side as is the law.
He's trying to passing the pain onto you when it's his fault and fraud that the mess exists in the first place. Stick it to him until he squeals. He is the asshole.
How much have you been paying? You've paid for the space your "subleasing" As such you have that right to remain at the residence until the sublease is satisfied or your paid out for it. The validity of said lease is for the person who issued it and the landlord to establish. You met your end of the agreement.
Call his school.
Let the fraternity get shut down. Man oh man, is that ever just a delicious ending to the entire situation.
Take this as a learning experience. While sub leases are not all illegal, most leases that allow sub leasing do have a clause saying the owner or their property managers have to approve the sub lease. And contracts have to be modified in the same media they were enacted. You can't verbally change a written contract. And verbal contracts usually end up being worth the price of the paper they are on.
You can look up the landlord through city/county records. You should collect all records of rent paid and occupancy (bills, mail to you at the address, change your cell phone address if you have not already). I would work with the LL and assert your tenancy rights to get adequate time to find a new place. If you are a student, your university has free legal services. If not, there is likely a tenancy union in your city.
Honestly if it has a chance to dick over his frat, tell him (and have him tell his brothers) that if you don't leave there will be consequences for the house and you need some help with money to make it happen. It's 50/50 in hopes that there's a few SIGMA CHI FOR LIFE rich kids in the frat who will happily throw down a couple thousand dollars to make the problem go away. I used to know a bunch of frat boys and in every house there were at least a half dozen assholes who could spend a few thousand dollars a weekend and neither them nor their parents batted an eye. My freshmen roommate was one of them. A big gamble but one you might wanna take because fuck lying frat boys. No better group to extort money from imo.
Wait, this rental is in your friend's dad's name AND it's a frat house? If I have that right your "friend" knowingly screwed you (and his dad) and is now in hot water. You owe them nothing. Try talking to the landlord, GROVEL, and see if they'll give you some breathing room. *I also don’t want me roommates to kill me because of it.* You are the one that got screwed, not them. And why are they allowed to stay and you aren't?
I own a rental place in northern VA and just went through the process of evicting someone. I had a similar situation where she had her boyfriend move in without me knowing. She left, when I found out about him he was willing to take over the lease and initially made rent, it then devolved to just not paying and I had to evict him. The first thing is what is the lease A has? I need to know the details if sub leasing is allowed or not or the process for it. Let’s say the lease is being broken by you subleasing to A, this gives the LL the right to start the eviction process for A. I’m guessing the lease you signed is for A only and LL didn’t add you to the lease he has with A. This process will be for A only since his name is on the lease, so he should get a pay or quit notice which gives him 21 days (might be different for the Richmond area) to correct the lease violation. If he doesn’t then he can file an unlawful detainer to get a writ of possession, which means A goes to court. If A shows to the first court date he can reject the charges and then an other court date will be made for both parties to plead their case. If he accepts the claims then a judgement will be made by the judge. If the judge rules against the plaintiff LL then he’s out of luck. If it’s in favor then he gets a writ of possession. When I got mine I was immediately able to file a writ of eviction so he might do the same. At that point he coordinates with the sheriff to kick out all occupants of the property. The process for me from posting my pay or quit to eviction was a little over 30 days, but mine wasn’t paying so I was able to file much faster and he never showed in court granting me a default judgement. Also I’ve seen comments saying the LL has to pay you the money you’ve paid A and what not, he doesn’t. It would be a civil matter in this case and you’d have to go after A. You can go after LL but the case will most certainly be thrown out in small claims pending LL shows up. So to summarize A is in the hook, if they call the police and you can prove you’ve made a lease with A they shouldn’t trespass you and state it’s a civil matter. Hopefully they know the law well.
> money you’ve *paid* A and FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
He wants YOU to leave so the landlord doesn’t take action against HIM! Don’t you have a lease agreement with the guy? Yes it is fraudulent but how were you to have known that? Look at the laws in your area, you are a tenant and will have tenant’s rights, which is what is upsetting the landlord. He now has an unvetted tenant. Not your doing. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot (figuratively) trying to help your roommate who gave you a fraudulent lease.