There are lots of reasons for deciding to share an apartment with another person. Maybe you prefer having someone else around to split household chores with, feel safer knowing you aren’t alone or have always wanted to live under the same roof as your best friend. Most commonly, the rationale is financial because having a roommate should mean saving money on just about all of your living expenses. However, if you sign up for renting with a roommate, it’s very possible that you’ll have to deal with the issue of missed rent payments.
Signing a lease with another person makes you cotenants. While you can decide amongst yourselves whether to divide the rent equally or not, each of you is independently responsible for the entire amount. If you make your payment on time, but your roommate does not (or moves out before the lease is up), you must still pay the entire rent. The landlord is not subject to your personal arrangement. If you suspect that your roommate is going to fall behind, it’s important to act quickly because nonpayment of rent can mean eviction for both of you, loss of security deposit, and difficulty finding new lodgings.
This stressful situation can initially be handled by talking with your roommate. It won’t be an easy conversation, but it’s vital to find out why he or she can’t pay, whether it’s for one month or more, and whether it’s in part or full. A discussion explaining the circumstances should then be had with your landlord who may be willing to cut you some slack if you need some time to come up with the full rent or to find another roommate.
If it seems that paying his or her share of the rent is going to continue to be a problem, it’s important to prepare for the possibility that you’ll have to go to court to recoup your expenses – either from covering the whole rent or getting evicted. Protect yourself by gathering evidence outlining what each of you agreed to be responsible for and how far behind your roommate is on the rent. Sources include emails, texts, financial statements, and communications with the landlord.
In an ideal world, cotenants would execute informal agreements addressing their responsibilities on major topics since living with another person is bound to get complicated sometimes. If you are currently in a co-tenancy, thinking about renting with a roommate, or have to find a new roommate because your current one can’t pay the rent, write up a contract outlining at least the financial details. The more you can anticipate issues, the easier it will be to resolve disputes.