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Dealing with Roommates/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Another roommate from the dark | 11/27/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: My daughter and her roommate signed a one year lease in May (06). The roommate allowed her boyfriend ... A: She needs to be totally honest to the landlord about the reasons WHY she needs the roommate to be ... | ||
| zRf=-2; | 11/27/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: My roomate told me on the first she could be moving out. A few weeks later I see she has been ... A: Your roommate did not give you a full 30 day notice she was leaving. Nor did she give the landlord ... | ||
| Locks/Roommate moving | 11/27/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: Can I legally change the locks to the door if my roommate moves all of his belongings out a few days ... A: If he moves out ALL his stuff before the 30 day period is up, you can change the locks because he ... | ||
| Getting Keys back. | 11/27/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: I live in MN. The exroommate moved out. Her stuff is still here and I will be filing Notice to ... A: Well since she left willingly, I don't see how you evicted her do you? Does it matter? Did you give ... | ||
| OK Roommate but Bad Boyfriend | 11/26/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: I signed a year lease with a roommate whom I loved. After 4 months she decided to attend law school ... A: Well your statement that the replacement is a very nice girl (lets call her Sue) is not quite ... | ||
| EX needs things out | 11/26/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: I live in MN and allowed a girlfriend to move in. No lease, just a verbal agreement. We had an ... A: There is a form you need to send her ASAP. It is titled: Notice to Former Tenant of Right to Reclaim ... | ||
| Treated unfairly | 11/26/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: Before I moved in with this roomate, I had asked her if she had any intention to move out any time ... A: Well it might sound unfair to you but you set yourself up for this fall. This was NEVER an equal ... | ||
| roommate with drugs | 11/25/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: I live in an apartment where my brother and I are on the lease, but I have two friends who live with ... A: Give you two "friends" EACH a WRITTEN 30 day notice to leave. You have a real problem on your hands ... | ||
| My tenant needs to go. | 11/24/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: I have a tenant with no written lease in place. He rents a room in my home (so, I live with him). ... A: You give your tenant a WRITTEN 30 day notice to vacate. You can find the form on-line, in stationary ... | ||
| How to tell landlord about roommate problems | 11/23/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: I'm so glad I found this site: your advice is great! I am renting in a 3 bedroom unit in ... A: I have always believed Honesty is the best policy. So I suggest you and your good roommate (lets ... | ||
| roommate | 11/22/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: I signed a lease with my roomate in july06 I talked to her before i moved in about no boyfriends ... A: You need to go to the Fair Housing Council in your city (usually part of city hall), take a copy of ... | ||
| division of rent | 11/22/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: My fiance is in the military and has been renting the same 2 bedroom apartment with his co-worker ... A: You are correct. Rent is split by bedrooms (no matter how many people share it) and all utilities ... | ||
| breaking a lease | 11/21/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: my daughter was dating a guy for the last year.they rented an apartment in july, both signing a ... A: She should be able to be released from the lease agreement because of the restraining order. She ... | ||
| How to evict a roomate | 11/21/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: I am concerned about a friend who moved in with her boyfriend a few months ago. She told me he has ... A: Your friend (lets call her Mary) needs to go visit the Fair Housing Council in her city (usually ... | ||
| Was given a 30day but have found new place early. | 11/21/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: My roommate is bring her new boyfriend in the condo but he wants everyone else out so she gave me a ... A: You DO NOT have to live there until the 30 day notice expires. You can move out anytime within the ... | ||
| Evictiong Question | 11/21/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: I have a roommate whom I believe is Paranoid Schizophrenic, although I know for a fact that she ... A: Go to the local office of the Fair Housing Council (usually located in city hall), bring any ... | ||
| Bossy roommate | 11/21/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: Moving out is not really an option for me. I am living in france now and with the bureaucracy and ... A: Okay, moving out is out! Here are a couple of suggestions. Don't know if they will work but what ... | ||
| roommate | 11/20/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: my boyfriend moved his best friend in my home with the understanding he would pay half the rent. ... A: You cannot keep his stuff as collateral for the rent money. So don't even think about it. He could ... | ||
| Bossy roommate | 11/20/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: So I recently moved to a foriegn country and finally found an apartment and roommate. So after ... A: First thing I would do is find another place to live ASAP. Let's face it, there is more than a ... | ||
| roommate wants extra money | 11/20/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: but steps have been taken since my roommate moved in. before she moved in, i explained to her that ... A: Well Sonia, your first letter obviously didn't give me all the info. Now it reads a whole lot ... | ||
| roommate wants extra money | 11/19/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: I live in a two bedroom apartment where my roommate and i are both on the lease. the problem is, ... A: I am a very firm believer that it is wrong and totally disrespectful to have a significant other ... | ||
| i own a house and want to kick out room mate's | 11/19/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: ok here is the deal i own a house with my sister we are both on the house. she got married and moved ... A: Go immediately to the Fair Housing Agency in your city, usually located in city hall. Take any ... | ||
| sublet | 11/18/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: i live in a two bedroom apartment. i rent out one room to this family. there were only two people ... A: Well as the landlord, you should know how to deal with this situation. To clarify the rules ... | ||
| Raving Lunatic wont Leave | 11/17/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: I recently had a older woman move into my apartment but did not put her on the lease. When she moved ... A: What a gigantic mess! And you have more than one problem here, believe me. Problem One: Since you ... | ||
| No Lease, want roommate out. | 11/15/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: Neither my roommate or I have a lease for the apt we are residing in. She's lived there for nearly ... A: I don't see how either of you can make demands on the other. I suggest you both sit down and talk ... | ||
| Roommate Abandoned Apartment | 11/15/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: My girlfriend and I had moved into a 2 bedroom apartment along with another roommate earlier this ... A: You should be grateful he is gone. Your next move is to replace him if you need the money for rent ... | ||
| evicting a housemate | 11/14/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: Is there anyway to evict my ex boyfriend and get him off the lease? we moved in together in march ... A: You need the help of a lawyer, not a roommate advisor. This is a domestic issue, not just a ... | ||
| Roomate moving out early | 11/13/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: I moved into a 2 bedroom apartment 2 years ago. My roomate the first year moved out and a friend of ... A: Yes, you have to pay your roommates share since he is refusing to do so. Most leases have a clause ... | ||
| live in boyfriend | 11/13/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: I made a big mistake and just signed a new lease with my BF of 3 years, at a new house with a new ... A: Of course your BF won't go, he is getting a free ride in life. He would be an idiot to turn down ... | ||
| roommate from hell | 11/12/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: I have rented an apt in NY for more than a year and am now facing a very difficult and threatening ... A: Well the good news is that since she never signed the lease agreement, it is easier to get her out. ... | ||
| Can I LEGALLY hold his stuff as collateral for nonpayment? | 11/12/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: My boyfriend and I, as well as another roommate, have an apartment together. Our lease will ... A: The ONLY legal way you can keep his stuff as collateral is IF he signs a document describing all his ... | ||
| Given 30 day notice by boyfriend | 11/11/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: I am not on the lease, but the landlord did increase the rent when they found out I was living here. ... A: You might want to talk to the landlord about this whole situation. Just because you have been ... | ||
| Lease | 11/10/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: In the lease, it states the the apartment is leased to "Jay", and only one line for me to sign. ... A: I have no idea. Why don't you ask the landlord? After all, he should know if your "friend" is a ... | ||
| Roommate that was formerly on lease | 11/10/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: my roommates and I are having a huge problem with a roommate. We had her removed from the lease (she ... A: First, the real estate office and the landlord has to get involved because they are the ones telling ... | ||
| Bad Roommate...How do I get out of lease? | 11/10/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: I live in Washington state and as a last resort I chose to move in with my boyfriend. He is the ... A: You should move back in with your parents or make other arrangements for awhile. You stated in your ... | ||
| extra roommate | 11/8/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: I have a roommate who has a boyfriend/fiance who visited a lot during the summer. Eventually he ... A: Did the landlord talk to YOU before he agreed to this arrangement? Tell the landlord you signed a ... | ||
| 3 roomies, 2 bdrm, 2 bath | 11/8/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: My two friends, a couple, and I are moving into a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment at the beginning ... A: The real problem here is that you are moving in with friends. This is a major no no in my book. If ... | ||
| I've been betrayed | 11/8/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: I have a current situation going on I would like some feedback from. I currently live with two ... A: Well it sounds like you are royally screwed....excuse the expression. Unless you paid rent with a ... | ||
| want to get away from bad roommate | 11/8/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: I moved into an apartment and signed a year lease with 2 girls in August, but in October, one of the ... A: Did your roommate have the authority from the landlord to sublet her room? Does the lease agreement ... | ||
| Stuck | 11/7/2006 | Sylvia Bergthold |
| Q: I entered into a lease on August 20th with a roommate that I put an ad in the local paper for. I ... A: If he is also a signer on the lease,(and from your first sentence, I gather that), that is where the ... | ||
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Sylvia Bergthold
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer questions dealing with roommate situations including compatability, leases, placing roommate wanted ads, what you have to offer to a roommate, sharing of utilities and other services, interviewing techniques and questions, some legal aspects of housesharing, clearance information, etc.
Experience
I have had roommates in my home for over 32 years and am the author of:
"SORRY, THE BOA HAS GOTTA GO!" A Roommate Survival Guide
Publications
The Los Angeles Times, The HB-FV Independent, The Arizona Tribune, Lansing Michigan Rental Guide, Roommate Locator Newsletter, The Plain Dealer,, Las Vegas Sun, Apartment Lifestyles Magazine, Instyle Magazine, The Whiz.com, Cosmopolitan, Under 25, The Portsmouth Herald
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