Roommate up and leaves: any rights?

[mightym]

My sister and her roommate have been renting one apartment for nearly two years. Recently the roommate put a deposit down on another apartment and moved out. My sister was unaware of the roommate's decision to move out until furniture started disappearing. The roommate placed ads for a replacement roommate, but didn't tell my sister about this either. The only response was from a male student and my sister told him she was not comfortable living with a boy she didn't know. He understood and now the old roommate is furious with my sister for "suddenly" setting roommate criteria.

The roommate has informed my sister that she will pay rent for February, but that she should find her own new roommate. I believe they signed one lease. The landlord is hard to reach- the only information he's given my sister is that she does not have to accept just anyone as her new roommate as a matter of safety.

After looking through the forums, it appears that my sister is responsible for the full rent after February. The lease is up in September and my sister has to move out in June anyway, so the chances of finding a roommate to fit that situation are pretty slim. Does she have any recourse at all? It goes without saying that the roommate has been an inconsiderate, non-communicative, astonishingly passive-agressive diva during the entire process .

 

[freebird]

I will assume that both roomates are on the lease? If this is the case, and it is usual, both are responsible for the entire amount of the lease. In the event your sister ends up footing the bill, she can sue the other roomate. She also does not have to accept just any roomate but one that is "reasonable." I'm not sure why your sister would want the landlord to remove the other roomate from the lease unless he agrees that your sister is only responsible for half the rent. I'm willing to bet that the landlord won't do so because then all the security of having the rental income would be gone and with no return on this "favor."

My sister and her roommate have been renting one apartment for nearly two years. Recently the roommate put a deposit down on another apartment and moved out. My sister was unaware of the roommate's decision to move out until furniture started disappearing. The roommate placed ads for a replacement roommate, but didn't tell my sister about this either. The only response was from a male student and my sister told him she was not comfortable living with a boy she didn't know. He understood and now the old roommate is furious with my sister for "suddenly" setting roommate criteria.

The roommate has informed my sister that she will pay rent for February, but that she should find her own new roommate. I believe they signed one lease. The landlord is hard to reach- the only information he's given my sister is that she does not have to accept just anyone as her new roommate as a matter of safety.

After looking through the forums, it appears that my sister is responsible for the full rent after February. The lease is up in September and my sister has to move out in June anyway, so the chances of finding a roommate to fit that situation are pretty slim. Does she have any recourse at all? It goes without saying that the roommate has been an inconsiderate, non-communicative, astonishingly passive-agressive diva during the entire process .