NFT: Objective opinion on a roommate situation

It seems like he made it clear he was doing this on a month to month basis

It was actually a benefit to the rest of you for the time he was there and you didn't have to pay the higher rent or seem a new roommate.

With less of a remaining lease period, subletting that spot may be easier now than it would have been 7 months ago.

He asked to stay on temporarily and this request was granted.

A new roommate

No.

It was temporary, then I see no obligation, moral or otherwise, for him to continue paying. Frankly, the counter argument sounds pretty shallow and cheap.

but if he told you it was temporary at the beginning, then I think he is in the right. Perhaps there is a compromise to be had between all of you?

What is surprising to me is that you would actually ask this question unless your motive was to prove to someone by use of third party opinions how wrong they were.

is one sixth of the rent?

So glad those days are a distant memory to me.

Are you talking like another $50 - $100 per person until a replacement is secured?

Please keep in mind I did not state which roommate I am in this situation before passing any judgements on my character.

Near the door, get him to throw down a couple of dollars before he leaves...I hear these things work.

and has framed this to back his side

We all know BBI opinions are final and binding to he just made his case

In comment 12353005 Rob in CT/NYC said:

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It was temporary, then I see no obligation, moral or otherwise, for him to continue paying. Frankly, the counter argument sounds pretty shallow and cheap.

Sounds like the guy helped out as much as they did for him. The roommates were in a worse position in Nov than they are now.

if he owes rent for the rest of the year if he moves out? Of course he doesn't.

In comment 12353025 ron mexico said:

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and has framed this to back his side We all know BBI opinions are final and binding to he just made his case

Haha. Arbitration via BBI.

THE COURT OF JUSTICE! ALL YEAR BABY!

Left on its ow, if the argument gets too intense I'm betting he couldn't call a cop.

case closed

In comment 12353025 ron mexico said:

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and has framed this to back his side We all know BBI opinions are final and binding to he just made his case

Bingo. Sonic Youth is not stupid. I can't see him actually seriously asking this question. I would believe it from certain other BBI posters.

or are you asking legally?

Legally, he likely owes you rent until the end of the next payment period. So if your lease starts at the beginning of the month and he informed you this today, then he's likely on the hook until the end of August (really bad timing for him).

As a friend, he actually saved you guys money because it seems like your plan was to just live in the house with 5 people instead of 6, and so in that case, you should just let him move out.

However, if your plan was to find a 6th roommate before the renewal, and his plans falling through and deciding to stay cost you the opportunity to find a 6th roommate, then I think he does owe you the courtesy of some time to be able to find a replacement.

But again, if the plan was and is to live with 5 people there at an increased rent, I don't think he owes anything.

In comment 12353048 PaulBlakeTSU said:

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or are you asking legally? Legally, he likely owes you rent until the end of the next payment period. So if your lease starts at the beginning of the month and he informed you this today, then he's likely on the hook until the end of August (really bad timing for him). As a friend, he actually saved you guys money because it seems like your plan was to just live in the house with 5 people instead of 6, and so in that case, you should just let him move out. However, if your plan was to find a 6th roommate before the renewal, and his plans falling through and deciding to stay cost you the opportunity to find a 6th roommate, then I think he does owe you the courtesy of some time to be able to find a replacement. But again, if the plan was and is to live with 5 people there at an increased rent, I don't think he owes anything.

Thanks. Yes, we are all close friends, and that is what the issue is.

Again though, I didn't state who is the roommate moving out in this case.

In comment 12353024 Rob in CT/NYC said:

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Near the door, get him to throw down a couple of dollars before he leaves...I hear these things work.

LOL

and he said it was temporary.

Good lord.

Kicker wins, though.

beat me.

Makes me sad.

but do blast him in the butt. It is a proven dispute settler

In comment 12353128 Mike in Long Beach said:

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and he said it was temporary. Good lord.

JFC lol, everyone is coming at me as if I'm one of the guys staying.

I'm the dude moving out. My roommates are asking me to throw them 2 months rent. I don't think I am obligated to.

Let each one blast you in the butt

In comment 12353170 Sonic Youth said:

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In comment 12353128 Mike in Long Beach said: Quote: and he said it was temporary. Good lord. JFC lol, everyone is coming at me as if I'm one of the guys staying. I'm the dude moving out. My roommates are asking me to throw them 2 months rent. I don't think I am obligated to.

Not everyone. A bunch of us saw what you were doing.

Novemeber to July on a 1 year lease is temporary?

I don't think so.

So legally he doesn't owe it because he's not on the lease, but he's jobbing his buddies for three months rent (assuming he paid July), just because he wants to move out now. Thats a poor decision on his part.

You want to screw your housemates, because you can?

In comment 12353212 Big Al said:

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In comment 12353170 Sonic Youth said: Quote: In comment 12353128 Mike in Long Beach said: Quote: and he said it was temporary. Good lord. JFC lol, everyone is coming at me as if I'm one of the guys staying. I'm the dude moving out. My roommates are asking me to throw them 2 months rent. I don't think I am obligated to. Not everyone. A bunch of us saw what you were doing.

I hear you. I was pretty confident I am in the right here... but since theres 5 people 5 disagreeing, I wanted to get an outside opinion to make sure I wasn't just deluding myself and convincing myself that I was correct.

These are very close friends of mine, so I will probably give them one months rent just to make sure we aren't on bad terms. Most of us go all the way back to high school, and the last thing I want to do is strain friendships over money.

I see no reason to give them anything. Your friends are being dicks.

temporary basis should be understood to mean month to month and as such, 30-60 days notice before move out is typical, thus, you should probably pay out 1 month at the least depending on what type of notice you gave them.

Future advice, put shit in writing so there are no issues

roomate?

In comment 12353223 Sonic Youth said:

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In comment 12353212 Big Al said: Quote: In comment 12353170 Sonic Youth said: Quote: In comment 12353128 Mike in Long Beach said: Quote: and he said it was temporary. Good lord. JFC lol, everyone is coming at me as if I'm one of the guys staying. I'm the dude moving out. My roommates are asking me to throw them 2 months rent. I don't think I am obligated to. Not everyone. A bunch of us saw what you were doing. I hear you. I was pretty confident I am in the right here... but since theres 5 people 5 disagreeing, I wanted to get an outside opinion to make sure I wasn't just deluding myself and convincing myself that I was correct. These are very close friends of mine, so I will probably give them one months rent just to make sure we aren't on bad terms. Most of us go all the way back to high school, and the last thing I want to do is strain friendships over money.

No disagreement. The answer to your original question was clearly no as you knew when you asked it. You added some information later on which could affect your decision. Sometimes in life you do things you don't have to for the sake of friendship.

notice or leave immediately and give them one months rent you are doing the right thing. Technically/legally maybe you don't even need to do that, but IMO I think it's the right thing, since they could have kicked you out any time without any notice technically and legally and you wouldn't have liked that.

In comment 12353235 GMenLTS said:

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temporary basis should be understood to mean month to month and as such, 30-60 days notice before move out is typical, thus, you should probably pay out 1 month at the least depending on what type of notice you gave them. Future advice, put shit in writing so there are no issues

Yeah, that's my big takeaway. Even if you're dealing with friends, having things in writing is key.

They've known for a while that I have been looking to move out. This morning, I told them all that I'd be moving out on August 1st (some knew yesterday when I got back from the signing).

Ron, that was pretty much the key to me. If they had someone lined up to move in for the year, and I prevented that person from moving in, I would 100% pay for all of the remaining rent.

However, that wasn't the case.

I suppose the argument could be made that by staying in the room, they inherently couldn't fill it... but to be real, nobody was looking for or seeking a roommate. At no point did they say "we found someone who wants to live here till our lease is up"... and they were going to start off the year with 5 people anyway.

In comment 12353264 pjcas18 said:

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notice or leave immediately and give them one months rent you are doing the right thing. Technically/legally maybe you don't even need to do that, but IMO I think it's the right thing, since they could have kicked you out any time without any notice technically and legally and you wouldn't have liked that.

Agree. I gave them a month notice, and have paid for July. But I do not want to pay for August.

I'm not trying to leave them high and dry, or screw anyone over; however, at the same time, I don't want to be on the short end of the stick as well.

Your being there the prior year, and staying for 9 months this year, implies more permamence. They were doning you a favor by not looking, allowing you to stay. Now you're doing this?

No matter how you cut it, you are a jerk if you make them pay anything for your room because you want to move out.

IMO since you have given them a months notice pay through the time you are leaving and then give them one additional month rent so it is crystal clear that you didn't leave them hanging any more than they would have been had you originally left. That gives them two months paid to find someone else or plan around the extra shared expense they will incur.

In comment 12353212 Big Al said:

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In comment 12353170 Sonic Youth said: Quote: In comment 12353128 Mike in Long Beach said: Quote: and he said it was temporary. Good lord. JFC lol, everyone is coming at me as if I'm one of the guys staying. I'm the dude moving out. My roommates are asking me to throw them 2 months rent. I don't think I am obligated to. Not everyone. A bunch of us saw what you were doing.

Ah okay, I didn't realize you were framing the narrative. So basically all of the positive qualities I thought you were attributing to your opposition are now qualities you were attributing to yourself.

This who thread is disingenuous at best on your part. I wish I picked up on the scent like Big Al and others did. Jokes on me for taking your post at face value.

that you live with 5 other dudes (assuming)...

Everyone knew the situation. You should have tried to add him to the lease again if you wanted security.

In comment 12353289 WideRight said:

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Your being there the prior year, and staying for 9 months this year, implies more permamence. They were doning you a favor by not looking, allowing you to stay. Now you're doing this? No matter how you cut it, you are a jerk if you make them pay anything for your room because you want to move out.

I have to concur here. By stating in the beginning that it was temporary in the beginning you implied that you would only be there for a short time. When it exceeded 2-3 months (a reasonable "temporary" time) the other roommates rightfully assumed you were going to be there for the whole year so did not actively look for a replacement roommate and kick you out. Legally you are not obligated to pay but morally I believe you are for exceeding the "temporary" period

In comment 12353295 Mike in Long Beach said:

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In comment 12353212 Big Al said: Ah okay, I didn't realize you were framing the narrative. So basically all of the positive qualities I thought you were attributing to your opposition are now qualities you were attributing to yourself. This who thread is disingenuous at best on your part. I wish I picked up on the scent like Big Al and others did. Jokes on me for taking your post at face value.

WTF does this post even mean? Positive qualities?

I laid out the situation using indefinite articles to keep it ambiguous.

I have no idea what "joke" you're referring to, or what you mean by taking the post at "face value".

I'm trying to see what people's opinions are, not argue against them. Which is why I'm not trying go back and forth or defend my point of view from people who disagree with me.

In comment 12353289 WideRight said:

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Your being there the prior year, and staying for 9 months this year, implies more permamence. They were doning you a favor by not looking, allowing you to stay. Now you're doing this? No matter how you cut it, you are a jerk if you make them pay anything for your room because you want to move out.

I was paying rent and utilities, as well as my share for everything of the house. They didn't have anyone to live in that room.

I don't see how staying there when they had nobody to live there is receiving a favor.

The fact that I stayed in the room lowered the rent for everyone.

One thing that I think might be a factor is that the room is not exactly appealing. it's extremely small with no closet, and has the same rent cost as other larger rooms on the floor. The reason I bring this up is because it is not a room that would exactly be easy to fill, especially since my roommates don't want to live with strangers. If I didn't live there, I'm not sure they'd have been able to fill it within a 3 month time frame. In fact, it actually wasn't the room

Another thing... I didn't sneak this on them as a surprise. They knew I was looking to get out of that room, as it's tough to live in.

In comment 12353328 bradshaw44 said:

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Everyone knew the situation. You should have tried to add him to the lease again if you wanted security.

Again, I am the one moving.

Your actions of not moving within a short period of the start of the lease call into question how much you really wanted to leave

In comment 12353411 Sonic Youth said:

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In comment 12353328 bradshaw44 said: Quote: Everyone knew the situation. You should have tried to add him to the lease again if you wanted security. Again, I am the one moving.

Jackass, you referred to yourself as "he" throughout your entire OP. This entire thread is absolute bullshit.