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Roommate problems dealing with rent and my belonging

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Roommate problems dealing with rent and my belonging

Postby Bluefire12485 » Thu Jan 10, 2008 1:09 am

There is four of us living in a 3 bed apartment, no lease was ever made and we were to spilte the bills and uliuties. I have had problems with one of my roommates, she was the one who dealt with paying the electric bill and rent. I paid 200, one roommate paid 250, another paid 400, and she paid 300...which was 1150.00 The rent each month was 900.00, I never knew that electric bill was never paid for and the gas which was in my name I never recieved any money for it. I know I should have asked for it, but I was fearful of my life, she had gotten physically once. She had pushed me down that one time, and had an object in her hand. I had ran out of the apartment till late that night.
Evelyn<one of my other roommates> and I often got threats from her that she would throw our stuff out while we were gone at work, that we had a week to move, and other such threats. Nothing was ever done, since rent here is extremely expensive and our work schedule was always full we never had a chance to move sooner, but we had looked and thought about it.
My brother is in the army, and is getting shipped out at the end of feb. so evelyn and I decided to move closer to my family to be supportive. I just moved my clothes and just a few items 4days ago. I moved ahead of time to find a good apartment, a car, and jobs. Evelyn is following me at the end of march. I am giving evelyn money to take care of my stuff and my cats.
I got the gas bill on a payment plan,and she has signed agreement to pay what is owed by her. Since I no longer live there I told them I was shutting the gas off cause I don't trust that it will be paid and I don't want it to get any higher or ruin my credit more.
So because I shut it off she wants me to pay for feb's rent<I have already paid for January's rent> and 200 for storage by sat or she will throws out all my belongs and my two cats. She also goes to Evelyn's job and threatens her or over the phone, Evelyn's almost lost job because of this
Can she charge me rent and storage fees? What can Evelyn do about her threats?
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Postby lofter1 » Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:06 am

You do not say where you are located or when you notified your roommate that you wee moving out. Often 30 days notice is required. So if you did not notify until after January 1 then you would be liable for February rent (or at least a portion of it if you could negotiate it down to weekly payments, which is not usually the case but could be worth the try).

In regards to the gas service: Rather than have the gas service shut off the better course would have been to have the gas account switched to the name of one of the current occupants (which is often not a difficult transaction with the gas company -- it simply requires some coordination & communication and results in no one being without gas service). Unfortunately the choice to shut off the service has most likely increased the tension & negativilty among roommates.

Your roommmate cannot throw out your belongings as long as you are paying rent. That could be seen as an eviction, which in NYC is not something that a co-occupant can do at such an early stage without going to the courts.

It sounds to me like you both need to make an effort to communicate with the other, so that the final weeks of your co-occupancy will be as smooth and trouble-free as possible. Negotiate the various monies due (rent, gas, electric) so everyone is clear in regards to who should pay what. Otherwise things will simply get worse than what you have already described -- and end up costing you more money.
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Postby TenantNet » Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:30 am

This is the "beyond" New York forum, so it could be anywhere. While there are notice requirements in NYC -- and most likely in other major metropolises, I wouldn't guarantee similar notice requirements in all locations, so the OP should check the local law.

However, it is common that tenants may not be evicted -- by landlords or out-of-control roommates by anything other than a court process. Maybe the police in other locations are more responsive (and know the law) than NYPD.

In all instances it's best to have legal counsel, and with the police it's better to approach a higher-up bureaucrat at the precinct station than rely for help on those in a patrol car answering a plea. Go to the precinct and tell them what's going on. Also your local elected official (they must be better than NYC political hacks) might be able to pave the way with the police.
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Postby Bluefire12485 » Thu Jan 10, 2008 7:06 pm

I lived in chicago, and I could not transfer the gas bill into anyones else's name because all owe more than 800 dollars from previous gas bills that was in their names that is why it was in my name from the start so that they would pay off the other debts on the old gas bills. Gas bill was supposed to be in my name only a couple months
Evelyn connected a friend of ours that was a cop and he said that I had 90 days to get my belongs out, that I owed no rent or storage fees.. But this room-mate keep harassing me by sending me text messages threating to throw away my things if I don't pay her 200 bucks a month. She also wont stop calling my phone using other #'s and blocking hers, evelyn watched her do this all day. Beside not many know my cell # at all.
She is bipolar and some what crazy, she is 38 years old and I am 22 so being my first apartment on my own this was a new to me. I let her over charge me rent for almost 2 years now. Our first apartment was 550 and I paid 325 plus food and gas even though it was supposed to be included.
She bossed me around, checked in on whatever I was doing she would call evelyn's or mine phone to ask us when we would be home and what we were doing.She often brought guest into the home and never asked if it was okay if they stayed a few nights. Robert my other roommate was moved in with out me even meeting before hand she did not even ask if that was okay with LL or us. So because of that she almost got us kicked out of the apartment, she settled it by saying that he was only living at the apartment for a month or two so that he find himself an apartment since he was being evicted and he has been there since june. This guy has some mental disorder all her friends do. He doesn't work and even leaves his room like a pig pen, it smells funny from him not washing his clothes or throwing away his trash and old food in his room. He plays his music in the early hours also. He Eats and drinks our food, uses our stuff and never replaces it or chip in money towards it. Neither of them clean but I did it all the time and if I didnt I would get yelled at about it.
Now the apartment was so under mantienced, I could never use the mircowave or toaster when the heat or ac was on cause it would knock the power out all the time. Sometimes the power went out for no reason.I had bug investion and some small mice, we got rid of them. The closets and carpet smelled like cat urine from the tenants before's pet, we got most of that cleaned up. Since we lived on the 3rd foor the light out side was important, went it blew we asked if they would put a bulb in it for us since it was too high for anyone to reach they never did that. We never had a light in the bathroom work, it just flashes like the one of those horror movies. The toliet never worked right either. So you see I why I was mad that the rent went up from 750 to 900.

I am most likely going to court do you know what I should have with me, paperwork, what kind of evidence I need. I know that judge that would side with me on the throwing away my belongings before 90 days I have her text messages proving her threats, bank statements to prove I paid rent. Signed agreements that she signed that she is trying to break, like trying to make us pay the full amount for it before the agreed date. We were supposed to pay 50 bucks a month and have it paid off by the end of march.I did say that I would move if I had to for my mom back in may.
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Postby TenantNet » Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:08 pm

Just a reminder, don't use anyone's real name.
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Roommates

Postby Emeraldstar » Thu Jan 10, 2008 10:49 pm

Hi All
Please move the cats asap. They are living beings and should not be used as tools by :wink: a spiteful roommate. Good luck in your new place
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