What to Do About Roommates Who Don’t Pay Rent

As long as they pay the landlord their own share of the rent per month, many tenants who divide rent with roommates think they’re okay. The idea is that if a roommate comes up short, then the landlord will just be responsible for the roommate and likely face eviction. Roommates who sign a lease agree to pay a certain cumulative amount of rent per month to the landlord. Each month, the landlord just cares about being paid the full amount, how you and a roommate want to share the total rent between you.

Discuss the matter with your roommate immediately

Because everyone is responsible for the rent, when one roommate can’t pay their share, it’s everyone’s issue. Sit down to address how bad the problem is in terms of whether they are just behind this month, whether they can’t pay their entire rent or just a portion, why they can’t make the rent, etc. It’s not going to be an easy discussion, but to determine how bad the situation is, it has to happen. You will need to start considering your options if it appears that your roommate will not be able to rent next month.

Talk to your property manager

Even if your roommate will make up the difference so that the rent isn’t really late, you will need to talk to your property manager about the matter. If you clarify the situation, if you need to find another roommate or need a few extra days to collect the rent, they can cut you some slack. It may even be possible to get out of your lease early if you give them enough time to find another tenant.

Consider getting a new roommate

You may need to start looking for someone else to live with if your current roommate is not going to be able to cover the rent. Be upfront about the situation with your current roommate. It’s always a tricky situation whenever a roommate falls behind on rent. Although stress and emotions are likely to run high, keeping a level head is crucial. As unfair as it may seem, you and your roommate are renting together for better or worse and if they get disgruntled, things could definitely get worse.

About FlatMate.in

FlatMate.in is the first app that helps you to search shared room/apartments based on common liking & interests and not just based on usual factors like location and price range. In other words, we focus on the relationship between potential roommates. A study shows if you share apartment with compatible roommate then chances are higher that you would stay longer with each other and will become friends for life

Android App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=in.flatmate&hl=en