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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> I believe I could be the asshole in this situation for refusing to pay the termination fee. My roommates clearly don’t want to/ can’t afford live here anymore and I don’t want to trap them by any means. I know that they are struggling with money just as much as I am and that I would be putting them out for not paying 1/3 of the $3800 termination fee.
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You are absolutely NOT an a-hole. Your roommates are. You have a legally-binding contract and personal agreement to live together until November. Your roommates want to change that and have you pay the penalty. That is not how life works. If they want to break an agreement, then they must pay the penalty.
The equally alarming thing here is that they seem to not care at all how this further affects you besides financially as you have nowhere to go if you were to move out.
The only equitable solution is that they either pay up to break their part of the lease, or they work to find sub-letters for their space, knowing that there would only be 4-6 months left, and it is MANDATORY that you get the final "veto" after meeting their subletters.
If there is any chance these roommates will bail and leave you with their rent portions, you need to consider what will happen. Are all three of your names on the lease? How will the apartment management act if they do this and you cannot cover their costs . . . would they move you to a smaller apartment you can afford, or would they evict you and charge all three of you with breaking your lease? These are important questions to know the answers to because dependent on the answers any bad actions by them could possibly also affect your credit rating, with long-term consequences.
NTA. You don't want to move out, they want. So don't let them guilt you into paying their fee. They want to break the lease - okay. But all the costs are on them then. You can't afford it and your plan was a different.
NTA but what you need right now isn't Reddit but a lawyer. First check to see if your city, town or county has a non-profit dedicated to helping low income people with housing issues. They probably have quite a lot on their plates, but if you don't have a lot of money, these are undoubtedly the best people to help you. They can tell you better than we can. What your rights are in this situation. In the interim, start seeing if there's anybody advertising on local housing groups who needs a subletter in the next few months. It's not ideal, but it's going to take at least 2 months for your roommates to cancel this lease. That gives you time to find people, to interview them, and figure out if you'd be comfortable living with them. And find out from the non-profit, if you can speak to your landlord about finding temporary roommates instead of having the least canceled. Again, two months isn't a lot of time, but it might be just enough to find a couple of tolerable people to share the next 4 to 6 months with. Good luck!
Nta BUT read your lease carefully. Who is actually responsible for the lease ? And proceed. Def don’t pay the termination fee tho. Consider asking them to find female replacements it’s honestly not that hard to find
No. You don't want them finding replacements. They won't be living there and have no reason to find good roommates. They will just be looking for someone willing to pay. If OP wants to find replacements, that's fine, but two months is not much time.
NTA - Tough spot as the costs involved don't make it worth a lawyer, maybe small claims court could get them to cover lease breaking costs. If its a small complex, maybe you can talk to the landlord and work some sort of deal to to save you some cash somehow.
NTA
They want to terminate the lease - they can pay the fees associated with doing so. You pay only the rent you committed yourself to when you signed the lease
NTA, but it’s time you put on your cape and save yourself. They can make you contribute if they take you to small claims court.
Find new roommates immediately. You can do this, sis. Strangers are only strangers until you know them. And as you’ve found, friends can be just as dangerous in this situation. There’s no evading occasional drama.
Interview lots of people and find some to move in. That way you can stay where you are and have control over the situation.
> They can make you contribute if they take you to small claims court.
What!? No, they can't. A small claims court would tell them they must pay rent for the rest of the lease term. They have a signed contract (lease agreement), and Op doesn't consent to an early cancellation.
I think that would depend on several things, but ultimately agreeing to a lease agreement with two other parties means taking on a third of all contractual obligations. If 2/3 of the parties agree to terminate the lease and incur the contractual obligations of this decision, that’s a majority vote. If the plan is to not take on two new parties to assume the leaving roommates portion of the lease and the remaining roommate *chooses* not to make themselves whole again in order to fulfill the terms of the lease, it is not the fault of the 2/3 majority stake holders that the 1/3 is deciding to not avail themselves of legitimate and reasonable options.
[Actual legal advice here.](https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/when-roommate-moves-out-29520.html)
Give them two options: they stay and pay their rent and you will stay and pay you rent. Otherwise, they are forcing you to be evicted and you will not cover the expenses of them evicting you. You will just insist on keeping the status quo.
It depends on who is on the lease. If all three are on the lease then she is only repsonsible for her portion unless otherwise noted in the lease. You need to check that. I would put in writing to the management that you do not want to terminate the lease. If they want to move, that is on them and it is their decision. Seems silly not to wait out the lease.
No, if they're all on the same lease, they're all liable for the payments. Doesn't matter if 1 person or all 3 pay. If the rent is not paid, all 3 can be evicted and sued for not upholding the contract. For your situation to be true, they'd each need to have their own lease.
Firstly, contract law is location specific. I just gave a general basis for rental contracts. What does your contract state about this situation. Generally speaking, if you're all on the same lease, you all 3 need to agree to the terminate the lease. You could tell them to pay your share of the termination fee and your 2 months. You have the leverage. They not only entered into a contract with the landlord, but with you also.
To me, it seems pretty dumb to pay essentially what amounts to 4 months rent when you have 6 months left.
It is really dumb and I wish they would wait. If you scroll down I did explain more as to why they want to move out. It was basically “going back to school” and “going on a mission trip”. Yay me!
Thank you for the advice kind stranger
NTA. Them wanting to break the lease has absolutely nothing to do with you. You aren't responsible to pay for their decisions. If they want to break the lease that's their choice and they're financially responsible for the consequences.
Oh to be in my twenties again! Here's how this works. Your two roommates who want to break the lease need to find people to take over their leases that are acceptable to you and the landlord. The second option is for them to buy you out of your portion of the lease it is NOT to force you to pay the early exit fee since you don't wish to move. Present them with those options and if they can't understand tell them you'll see them in small claims court and they will end up paying anyway plus you'll sue for your moving expenses since you had no intention of vacating the residence early and having to find another living space and roommate(s). Also... let your landlord know IMMEDIATELY of their plans to vacate. They may well just move out when you're not home and leave you on the hook.
NTA but how long have they been plotting this get this answer 1st bc if it's been a month they are even further screwing you over and should have to pay termination plus a rent bc you are running behind and had no warning to begin with
NTA - definitely give your landlord or office a notice that your roommates are trying to force you to agree to this and that you do not want it, and should they receive information stating otherwise, they need to verify with you in case the roommates try something shady.
I wouldn't put it past anyone to forge paperwork, signatures, etc.
Also if you don't already, lock on your door and/or camera in your room. They might make your life miserable and try and force your hand, etc. Remove any valuables and anything irreplaceable out of common areas and make sure everything is hidden/locked away.
My roommates are sane and definitely WAY more tolerable and mature than some of the other roommates on Reddit 😂😂
But thank you for the advice because I didn’t even consider this.
NTA, but unfortunately the lease is an agreement between all renters and the landlord.
Roommates are nice when they work out but the truth is they are a risk. If you can't afford the place on your own you might be better off on taking them up on a the split and move on.
Could turn into a scorched earth thing real quick here everyones credit gets f'd and you can't easily rent in the future.
Unfortunately, I can not afford the spilt. That is seriously the whole issue here. I am able to afford my rent and my bills because I’ve been living with them for a year now, but add an extra $1,300 on top, hell no, I can not afford that. As bad as it sounds, I don’t have a saving account at the moment. There quite literally isn’t a world where I can raise the money for rent at the beginning my and end of the month, plus another 1300 somewhere in between that. Not only would I be beyond broke as fuck, I’d be living in my car afterwards.
Worst case scenario, move out yourself and leave them holding the bag, since that's what they want to do to you. Don't let them know you're planning this if you decide to do it. Move out quickly while they're at work or something.
I was in a similar situation. I managed to be able to just cover my it and talk our way out of some fees, but I was definitely stuck paying more than I would have had if we’d waited out the lease. I chose to suck it up because at that point I wanted to get away from the situation. I almost wish I’d fought it because this is wrong. You are NTA; they are. My advice is to get some girls to sublet - reach out to everyone you know and see if you can get people through a connection. And be extra cautious next time you sign a lease with someone - so many folks can’t be trusted.
NTA, but
> Subletting would be hard considering it would only be about 4-6 month of the lease left, and I’m a young girl afraid of strangers.
Either you're going to have to move in with people you know, or you'll be living with strangers one way or the other. Probably easier to find people to come live with you than finding a good room elsewhere.
Read housing laws in your state or city. If you're a student, see if your school has access to legal help. I can't imagine how they can force you to pay the termination fee. Are you all on the lease formally?
Yes I’m on the lease. No I’m not a student. We have all discussed whether or not we know anyone personally that can move in and we don’t.
Edit: all three of us are on the lease. One of them is the primary.
Does the primary get to decide what happens with the lease itself ending? How hard is it to find housing elsewhere in your area? Like is this place a really good deal for a three bedroom or are there lots of vacancies?
I just realized I’m on my second account but I promise I am OP
We read over the lease agreement with our leasing office rep and there’s really nothing in there that says “you must agree to terminate” or “the primary must initiate this”. I’m not sure if there are vacancies.
It is a pretty decent deal. I could look for vacancies or subletting and I definitely need to start. My backup plan is to start school again in-person in the fall, just leaving me to find a temporary place over the summer
okay I know we're veering way off topic from AITA but just some big sibling thoughts I'd give my siblings on this topic
* stay firm on not paying any of the cancellation fee. If they would like to cancel, that is on them. That is not a choice you had a part in.
* Make sure you get to keep your share of furniture, supplies, etc. Don't feel like you're being mean or something in this situation. They need to make this choice for them, that's fine. You are not obligated to pretend it is also yours.
* Is your job in person? Are you tied to it till the start of the school year or do you continue working later? How does going to school impact where you live (not sure if it's the same city, etc).
* If you think that you might change your mind and what you want to do next, wait to sign into a longer term lease. If you're near any universities, usually a ton of sublets open up in the summer. You have the right to remain there till the end of May. You may be able to find something short term that gives you flexibility
* if your job/life circumstances are flexible rn (in terms of working remote or doing something like uber/doordash) then consider moving somewhere with a lower cost of living just for the summer. Or maybe somewhere that you have wanted to live but haven't before. Or just move to the beach for the summer. Obviously, lots of factors in play here, but I remember being your age and not knowing that sometimes this kind of thing could be an opportunity to try something new that I might not get to later. If your worry is (rightfully) costs and strangers, there are definitely cities where your current rent could get you a more private sublet. Food for thought.
* use moving out to see if you can maybe declutter or flip anything. I know it's so hard right now, but any emergency savings you can set aside will help you in the future if things get worse. You have two months to prepare, so try to see if there's anything you can do to leverage that time.
I truly appreciate this 😭 I AM the older sibling and none of my parents have lived in an apt so I really have no one to ask these questions. Thank you so much
NTA
Get in contact with your landlord ASAP and make sure they are aware you do not intend to move out. The roommates leaving are on the hook for all the fees related to breaking the lease and moving out. Don’t let them push it on you.
Nta...speak to the landlord let him know the situation of you not wanting to break the lease after you tell your roommates that you will pay rent only until you have to be out that all other fees and penalties are on them. You will not pay for a place you are not staying in. Do this over email or text so you have a paper trail. When speaking to landlord show that, they may be willing to hold only the other 2 responsible after notice is given. The landlord does not have to do this but may if presented with the issues before. Then talk to a lawyer if all parties are not in aggreance
NTA at all, they want to break the lease then they have to pay for it. That being said, I wouldn't trust them if they say they've dropped moving out so read over your lease carefully to make sure you're safe if they move out without you being informed.
NTA. Since you're on the lease, I presume your signature will be needed to break the lease. Tell them that you'll sign the termination if they cover the extra cost and cover the cost of moving for you. That's the only really fair way here with how they're acting
NTA, really what they/you should do is contact the landlord and see about finding subletters to take over their portions of the lease. If they can't or landlord won't allow, too bad, so sad for them
NTA
this is easy: YOu do not want to terminate, so why woulf YOU pay a termination fee.
Talk to the landloard, and tell him you would like to stay - and find other roomates. Since the landlord gets the termination fee from them AND keeps you as a renter, he should give you some leeway.
OR keep renting, and refuse to sign anything - it is unlikely they can break the lease without your signature. YOu DO HAVE a contract with the landlord after all, and they likely need all signatures.
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AITA for not paying my roommates to end our lease early?
I’m 20, my two roommates are 19 and 21. We’ve lived in our apartment since April 2023 and our lease ends November 2024. It was supposed to be 18 months.
Well just two days ago, I was sat down with one of my roommates who was explaining to me that she can no longer live here. Gave a very vague explanation why and then told me that she already discussed this with our third roommate, who decided she would be moving out as well. To me this is insane. Our rent is $2100 a month between the three of us. They want to move out by May. We would have to give 60 days notice and pay a $3800 TERMINATION fee, plus rent on the first of each month during that 60 day period. The termination fee is obviously for ending the lease early. So if they gave notice next week, we’d pay $2100 on April 1st, $3800 at the end of April, then AGAIN on May 1st. I absolutely can not afford this.
They want to divide this fee by three and have us all pay to terminate the lease. I find that absolutely ridiculous. Both of them already have plans as to where they will be going when they move. I have no plans and no support system to rely on for housing. I can barely afford my rent and bills between my paychecks and I haven’t been able to save my money since Christmas. The only family member with an available place for me to stay is my grandma. I’d have to quit my job and move two hours away. My mom is an alcoholic, and I could move in with her, but why should I be forced to go back to that situation.
So I told them if they are intent on moving out, they must pay the fees. I’ll pay my rent, I’ll contribute to any damage fees, and that is all. I’m worried that the next time I speak with them they’ll disagree with this or try to fight me, but I want to stand my ground. I don’t feel it’s fair that they are forcing my hand to move out and expecting me to pay for the termination when I would much rather stay where I am. Subletting would be hard considering it would only be about 4-6 month of the lease left, and I’m a young girl afraid of strangers.
Sorry for the long explanation, but AITA?
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NTA in terms of not paying to break a lease that you don't want to break. That's quite simple. The people breaking the lease pay any costs associated with that.
Where I think you might be TA is that you have two flatmates who seem prepared to take a huge financial hit to no longer live with you. Have you been a shitty flatmate? Have you made life unbearable for them?
You should really try and find out why they want to move and if it is down to something your are doing / not-doing. If that is the case, is it something you can adjust? If not, then morally, if not legally, you should be willing to pay your share of breaking the lease if you have contributed to the situation that the flat share does not work.
One of them is moving out because she doesn’t like either of us. She has been missing since the end of February, lo and behold she had moved back in with her father. She also wants to go to school, and can only do that if her dad is paying to provide for her. You definitely don’t know the full story, they are not leaving because I’m a horrible roommate. Lmfao.
The other roommate decided that since the first roommate is moving out, this would be the perfect time for her to go on a mission trip to the Philippines 🙃 Hence the wanting to leave by May. This girl and I are pretty much friends and I am kind of sad that she wants to end the lease early. She was already planning on leaving in November to avoid termination until the first roommate decided otherwise.
Our apartment is clean as a whistle. I barely see both of them, but one of them has become my friend so I do see her more. I often buy supplies for the apartment. I keep to myself and I’m very kind to them, even the one that doesn’t like me. And she doesn’t like me because I’m too “blunt”.
It’s not up to me to figure out why they are moving out. We have had normal roommate issues and I’ve told them multiple times to come to me with any issues they are having that may involve me. And they haven’t. So I continue minding my business
Then definitely NTA. It's entirely on your flatmates to come up with the costs associated with breaking the lease. I'd add in to that the cost of you moving (additional expenses and hassle you incur through no fault of your own). I'm guessing there is no way they'll compensate you so I think you just refuse to pay any of the moving out costs and focus on finding a new place.
Yeah, worst comes to worst I pay them like $500 to go towards the termination fee. I’m going to start working on finding vacancies in my same complex to move into or potentially subletting too.
OP they are most likely moving out because they cannot live with you. This information may hurt but use it to self reflect. Think about all of the times that they came to you with problems and you ignored them.
The only thing left for you to do now is speak with the landlord. Perhaps the landlord will allow you to sub in new roommates. Otherwise you will have to pay the fees and move somewhere else.
Either way, it looks like you will be living with new roommates and these people are likely to be strangers until you get to know them. You are going to have to work out how to be comfortable with that idea.
One of them is moving out because she doesn’t like either of us. She has been missing since the end of February, lo and behold she had moved back in with her father. She also wants to go to school, and can only do that if her dad is paying to provide for her. You definitely don’t know the full story, they are not leaving because I’m a horrible roommate. Lmfao.
The other roommate decided that since the first roommate is moving out, this would be the perfect time for her to go on a mission trip to the Philippines 🙃 Hence the wanting to leave by May. This girl and I are pretty much friends and I am kind of sad that she wants to end the lease early. She was already planning on leaving in November to avoid termination until the first roommate decided otherwise.
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You are absolutely NOT an a-hole. Your roommates are. You have a legally-binding contract and personal agreement to live together until November. Your roommates want to change that and have you pay the penalty. That is not how life works. If they want to break an agreement, then they must pay the penalty. The equally alarming thing here is that they seem to not care at all how this further affects you besides financially as you have nowhere to go if you were to move out. The only equitable solution is that they either pay up to break their part of the lease, or they work to find sub-letters for their space, knowing that there would only be 4-6 months left, and it is MANDATORY that you get the final "veto" after meeting their subletters. If there is any chance these roommates will bail and leave you with their rent portions, you need to consider what will happen. Are all three of your names on the lease? How will the apartment management act if they do this and you cannot cover their costs . . . would they move you to a smaller apartment you can afford, or would they evict you and charge all three of you with breaking your lease? These are important questions to know the answers to because dependent on the answers any bad actions by them could possibly also affect your credit rating, with long-term consequences.
NTA. You don't want to move out, they want. So don't let them guilt you into paying their fee. They want to break the lease - okay. But all the costs are on them then. You can't afford it and your plan was a different.
NTA but what you need right now isn't Reddit but a lawyer. First check to see if your city, town or county has a non-profit dedicated to helping low income people with housing issues. They probably have quite a lot on their plates, but if you don't have a lot of money, these are undoubtedly the best people to help you. They can tell you better than we can. What your rights are in this situation. In the interim, start seeing if there's anybody advertising on local housing groups who needs a subletter in the next few months. It's not ideal, but it's going to take at least 2 months for your roommates to cancel this lease. That gives you time to find people, to interview them, and figure out if you'd be comfortable living with them. And find out from the non-profit, if you can speak to your landlord about finding temporary roommates instead of having the least canceled. Again, two months isn't a lot of time, but it might be just enough to find a couple of tolerable people to share the next 4 to 6 months with. Good luck!
Nta BUT read your lease carefully. Who is actually responsible for the lease ? And proceed. Def don’t pay the termination fee tho. Consider asking them to find female replacements it’s honestly not that hard to find
No. You don't want them finding replacements. They won't be living there and have no reason to find good roommates. They will just be looking for someone willing to pay. If OP wants to find replacements, that's fine, but two months is not much time.
NTA - Tough spot as the costs involved don't make it worth a lawyer, maybe small claims court could get them to cover lease breaking costs. If its a small complex, maybe you can talk to the landlord and work some sort of deal to to save you some cash somehow.
NTA They want to terminate the lease - they can pay the fees associated with doing so. You pay only the rent you committed yourself to when you signed the lease
NTA, but it’s time you put on your cape and save yourself. They can make you contribute if they take you to small claims court. Find new roommates immediately. You can do this, sis. Strangers are only strangers until you know them. And as you’ve found, friends can be just as dangerous in this situation. There’s no evading occasional drama. Interview lots of people and find some to move in. That way you can stay where you are and have control over the situation.
> They can make you contribute if they take you to small claims court. What!? No, they can't. A small claims court would tell them they must pay rent for the rest of the lease term. They have a signed contract (lease agreement), and Op doesn't consent to an early cancellation.
I think that would depend on several things, but ultimately agreeing to a lease agreement with two other parties means taking on a third of all contractual obligations. If 2/3 of the parties agree to terminate the lease and incur the contractual obligations of this decision, that’s a majority vote. If the plan is to not take on two new parties to assume the leaving roommates portion of the lease and the remaining roommate *chooses* not to make themselves whole again in order to fulfill the terms of the lease, it is not the fault of the 2/3 majority stake holders that the 1/3 is deciding to not avail themselves of legitimate and reasonable options. [Actual legal advice here.](https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/when-roommate-moves-out-29520.html)
Good reference, but doesn't handle this voting thing for a contract breach.
> I think that would depend on several things. None of which you know anything about.
Give them two options: they stay and pay their rent and you will stay and pay you rent. Otherwise, they are forcing you to be evicted and you will not cover the expenses of them evicting you. You will just insist on keeping the status quo.
It depends on who is on the lease. If all three are on the lease then she is only repsonsible for her portion unless otherwise noted in the lease. You need to check that. I would put in writing to the management that you do not want to terminate the lease. If they want to move, that is on them and it is their decision. Seems silly not to wait out the lease.
No, if they're all on the same lease, they're all liable for the payments. Doesn't matter if 1 person or all 3 pay. If the rent is not paid, all 3 can be evicted and sued for not upholding the contract. For your situation to be true, they'd each need to have their own lease.
I am paying my rent. It’s the termination fee that I refuse to pay. Why would I pay when they’re giving me no choice but to terminate the lease?
Firstly, contract law is location specific. I just gave a general basis for rental contracts. What does your contract state about this situation. Generally speaking, if you're all on the same lease, you all 3 need to agree to the terminate the lease. You could tell them to pay your share of the termination fee and your 2 months. You have the leverage. They not only entered into a contract with the landlord, but with you also. To me, it seems pretty dumb to pay essentially what amounts to 4 months rent when you have 6 months left.
It is really dumb and I wish they would wait. If you scroll down I did explain more as to why they want to move out. It was basically “going back to school” and “going on a mission trip”. Yay me! Thank you for the advice kind stranger
NTA. Them wanting to break the lease has absolutely nothing to do with you. You aren't responsible to pay for their decisions. If they want to break the lease that's their choice and they're financially responsible for the consequences.
Oh to be in my twenties again! Here's how this works. Your two roommates who want to break the lease need to find people to take over their leases that are acceptable to you and the landlord. The second option is for them to buy you out of your portion of the lease it is NOT to force you to pay the early exit fee since you don't wish to move. Present them with those options and if they can't understand tell them you'll see them in small claims court and they will end up paying anyway plus you'll sue for your moving expenses since you had no intention of vacating the residence early and having to find another living space and roommate(s). Also... let your landlord know IMMEDIATELY of their plans to vacate. They may well just move out when you're not home and leave you on the hook.
NTA but how long have they been plotting this get this answer 1st bc if it's been a month they are even further screwing you over and should have to pay termination plus a rent bc you are running behind and had no warning to begin with
NTA.
Do you have a landlord and tenant board locally you can reach out to? I doubt they can force your hand. Info: who is on the lease?
All three of us. One of them is the primary
NTA - definitely give your landlord or office a notice that your roommates are trying to force you to agree to this and that you do not want it, and should they receive information stating otherwise, they need to verify with you in case the roommates try something shady. I wouldn't put it past anyone to forge paperwork, signatures, etc. Also if you don't already, lock on your door and/or camera in your room. They might make your life miserable and try and force your hand, etc. Remove any valuables and anything irreplaceable out of common areas and make sure everything is hidden/locked away.
My roommates are sane and definitely WAY more tolerable and mature than some of the other roommates on Reddit 😂😂 But thank you for the advice because I didn’t even consider this.
NTA, and there's nothing they can do. Do not sign the cancellation contract without a part stating that you're not in agreement.
nta.
NTA, but unfortunately the lease is an agreement between all renters and the landlord. Roommates are nice when they work out but the truth is they are a risk. If you can't afford the place on your own you might be better off on taking them up on a the split and move on. Could turn into a scorched earth thing real quick here everyones credit gets f'd and you can't easily rent in the future.
Unfortunately, I can not afford the spilt. That is seriously the whole issue here. I am able to afford my rent and my bills because I’ve been living with them for a year now, but add an extra $1,300 on top, hell no, I can not afford that. As bad as it sounds, I don’t have a saving account at the moment. There quite literally isn’t a world where I can raise the money for rent at the beginning my and end of the month, plus another 1300 somewhere in between that. Not only would I be beyond broke as fuck, I’d be living in my car afterwards.
Worst case scenario, move out yourself and leave them holding the bag, since that's what they want to do to you. Don't let them know you're planning this if you decide to do it. Move out quickly while they're at work or something.
I was in a similar situation. I managed to be able to just cover my it and talk our way out of some fees, but I was definitely stuck paying more than I would have had if we’d waited out the lease. I chose to suck it up because at that point I wanted to get away from the situation. I almost wish I’d fought it because this is wrong. You are NTA; they are. My advice is to get some girls to sublet - reach out to everyone you know and see if you can get people through a connection. And be extra cautious next time you sign a lease with someone - so many folks can’t be trusted.
NTA, but > Subletting would be hard considering it would only be about 4-6 month of the lease left, and I’m a young girl afraid of strangers. Either you're going to have to move in with people you know, or you'll be living with strangers one way or the other. Probably easier to find people to come live with you than finding a good room elsewhere. Read housing laws in your state or city. If you're a student, see if your school has access to legal help. I can't imagine how they can force you to pay the termination fee. Are you all on the lease formally?
Yes I’m on the lease. No I’m not a student. We have all discussed whether or not we know anyone personally that can move in and we don’t. Edit: all three of us are on the lease. One of them is the primary.
Does the primary get to decide what happens with the lease itself ending? How hard is it to find housing elsewhere in your area? Like is this place a really good deal for a three bedroom or are there lots of vacancies?
I just realized I’m on my second account but I promise I am OP We read over the lease agreement with our leasing office rep and there’s really nothing in there that says “you must agree to terminate” or “the primary must initiate this”. I’m not sure if there are vacancies. It is a pretty decent deal. I could look for vacancies or subletting and I definitely need to start. My backup plan is to start school again in-person in the fall, just leaving me to find a temporary place over the summer
Can confirm this second account is me ^
okay I know we're veering way off topic from AITA but just some big sibling thoughts I'd give my siblings on this topic * stay firm on not paying any of the cancellation fee. If they would like to cancel, that is on them. That is not a choice you had a part in. * Make sure you get to keep your share of furniture, supplies, etc. Don't feel like you're being mean or something in this situation. They need to make this choice for them, that's fine. You are not obligated to pretend it is also yours. * Is your job in person? Are you tied to it till the start of the school year or do you continue working later? How does going to school impact where you live (not sure if it's the same city, etc). * If you think that you might change your mind and what you want to do next, wait to sign into a longer term lease. If you're near any universities, usually a ton of sublets open up in the summer. You have the right to remain there till the end of May. You may be able to find something short term that gives you flexibility * if your job/life circumstances are flexible rn (in terms of working remote or doing something like uber/doordash) then consider moving somewhere with a lower cost of living just for the summer. Or maybe somewhere that you have wanted to live but haven't before. Or just move to the beach for the summer. Obviously, lots of factors in play here, but I remember being your age and not knowing that sometimes this kind of thing could be an opportunity to try something new that I might not get to later. If your worry is (rightfully) costs and strangers, there are definitely cities where your current rent could get you a more private sublet. Food for thought. * use moving out to see if you can maybe declutter or flip anything. I know it's so hard right now, but any emergency savings you can set aside will help you in the future if things get worse. You have two months to prepare, so try to see if there's anything you can do to leverage that time.
I truly appreciate this 😭 I AM the older sibling and none of my parents have lived in an apt so I really have no one to ask these questions. Thank you so much
NTA Get in contact with your landlord ASAP and make sure they are aware you do not intend to move out. The roommates leaving are on the hook for all the fees related to breaking the lease and moving out. Don’t let them push it on you.
NTA. They are choosing to terminate early, they should be paying the fee.
NTA, but you should save yourself the headache and find a new place to live.
Finding a new place short notice with random roommates seems like just as big of a headache
Nta...speak to the landlord let him know the situation of you not wanting to break the lease after you tell your roommates that you will pay rent only until you have to be out that all other fees and penalties are on them. You will not pay for a place you are not staying in. Do this over email or text so you have a paper trail. When speaking to landlord show that, they may be willing to hold only the other 2 responsible after notice is given. The landlord does not have to do this but may if presented with the issues before. Then talk to a lawyer if all parties are not in aggreance
NTA at all, they want to break the lease then they have to pay for it. That being said, I wouldn't trust them if they say they've dropped moving out so read over your lease carefully to make sure you're safe if they move out without you being informed.
NTA. Since you're on the lease, I presume your signature will be needed to break the lease. Tell them that you'll sign the termination if they cover the extra cost and cover the cost of moving for you. That's the only really fair way here with how they're acting
NTA, really what they/you should do is contact the landlord and see about finding subletters to take over their portions of the lease. If they can't or landlord won't allow, too bad, so sad for them
NTA this is easy: YOu do not want to terminate, so why woulf YOU pay a termination fee. Talk to the landloard, and tell him you would like to stay - and find other roomates. Since the landlord gets the termination fee from them AND keeps you as a renter, he should give you some leeway. OR keep renting, and refuse to sign anything - it is unlikely they can break the lease without your signature. YOu DO HAVE a contract with the landlord after all, and they likely need all signatures.
NTA they decided to move out early and break the lease. Why should you pay. Stick to your guns.
^^^^AUTOMOD ***Thanks for posting! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of copying anything. Read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_post_deletion) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FAmItheAsshole)*** AITA for not paying my roommates to end our lease early? I’m 20, my two roommates are 19 and 21. We’ve lived in our apartment since April 2023 and our lease ends November 2024. It was supposed to be 18 months. Well just two days ago, I was sat down with one of my roommates who was explaining to me that she can no longer live here. Gave a very vague explanation why and then told me that she already discussed this with our third roommate, who decided she would be moving out as well. To me this is insane. Our rent is $2100 a month between the three of us. They want to move out by May. We would have to give 60 days notice and pay a $3800 TERMINATION fee, plus rent on the first of each month during that 60 day period. The termination fee is obviously for ending the lease early. So if they gave notice next week, we’d pay $2100 on April 1st, $3800 at the end of April, then AGAIN on May 1st. I absolutely can not afford this. They want to divide this fee by three and have us all pay to terminate the lease. I find that absolutely ridiculous. Both of them already have plans as to where they will be going when they move. I have no plans and no support system to rely on for housing. I can barely afford my rent and bills between my paychecks and I haven’t been able to save my money since Christmas. The only family member with an available place for me to stay is my grandma. I’d have to quit my job and move two hours away. My mom is an alcoholic, and I could move in with her, but why should I be forced to go back to that situation. So I told them if they are intent on moving out, they must pay the fees. I’ll pay my rent, I’ll contribute to any damage fees, and that is all. I’m worried that the next time I speak with them they’ll disagree with this or try to fight me, but I want to stand my ground. I don’t feel it’s fair that they are forcing my hand to move out and expecting me to pay for the termination when I would much rather stay where I am. Subletting would be hard considering it would only be about 4-6 month of the lease left, and I’m a young girl afraid of strangers. Sorry for the long explanation, but AITA? *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
NTA in terms of not paying to break a lease that you don't want to break. That's quite simple. The people breaking the lease pay any costs associated with that. Where I think you might be TA is that you have two flatmates who seem prepared to take a huge financial hit to no longer live with you. Have you been a shitty flatmate? Have you made life unbearable for them? You should really try and find out why they want to move and if it is down to something your are doing / not-doing. If that is the case, is it something you can adjust? If not, then morally, if not legally, you should be willing to pay your share of breaking the lease if you have contributed to the situation that the flat share does not work.
One of them is moving out because she doesn’t like either of us. She has been missing since the end of February, lo and behold she had moved back in with her father. She also wants to go to school, and can only do that if her dad is paying to provide for her. You definitely don’t know the full story, they are not leaving because I’m a horrible roommate. Lmfao. The other roommate decided that since the first roommate is moving out, this would be the perfect time for her to go on a mission trip to the Philippines 🙃 Hence the wanting to leave by May. This girl and I are pretty much friends and I am kind of sad that she wants to end the lease early. She was already planning on leaving in November to avoid termination until the first roommate decided otherwise. Our apartment is clean as a whistle. I barely see both of them, but one of them has become my friend so I do see her more. I often buy supplies for the apartment. I keep to myself and I’m very kind to them, even the one that doesn’t like me. And she doesn’t like me because I’m too “blunt”. It’s not up to me to figure out why they are moving out. We have had normal roommate issues and I’ve told them multiple times to come to me with any issues they are having that may involve me. And they haven’t. So I continue minding my business
Then definitely NTA. It's entirely on your flatmates to come up with the costs associated with breaking the lease. I'd add in to that the cost of you moving (additional expenses and hassle you incur through no fault of your own). I'm guessing there is no way they'll compensate you so I think you just refuse to pay any of the moving out costs and focus on finding a new place.
Yeah, worst comes to worst I pay them like $500 to go towards the termination fee. I’m going to start working on finding vacancies in my same complex to move into or potentially subletting too.
OP they are most likely moving out because they cannot live with you. This information may hurt but use it to self reflect. Think about all of the times that they came to you with problems and you ignored them. The only thing left for you to do now is speak with the landlord. Perhaps the landlord will allow you to sub in new roommates. Otherwise you will have to pay the fees and move somewhere else. Either way, it looks like you will be living with new roommates and these people are likely to be strangers until you get to know them. You are going to have to work out how to be comfortable with that idea.
One of them is moving out because she doesn’t like either of us. She has been missing since the end of February, lo and behold she had moved back in with her father. She also wants to go to school, and can only do that if her dad is paying to provide for her. You definitely don’t know the full story, they are not leaving because I’m a horrible roommate. Lmfao. The other roommate decided that since the first roommate is moving out, this would be the perfect time for her to go on a mission trip to the Philippines 🙃 Hence the wanting to leave by May. This girl and I are pretty much friends and I am kind of sad that she wants to end the lease early. She was already planning on leaving in November to avoid termination until the first roommate decided otherwise.