Can a housemate with joint tenancy move from the house, stop paying her half of the mortgage, and still have rights to the property?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Can a housemate with joint tenancy move from the house, stop paying her half of the mortgage, and still have rights to the property?
I paid all expenses to purchase and move into this house with the verbal stipulation that we would live here the rest of our lives. We have been here less than a year. Now she wants to move out and force me to pay the mortgage and expenses myself. I will lose the house to foreclosure because I will not be able to keep up the mortgage long enough to sell the house and also ruining my credit. I have nowhere else to go so I want to keep the house. Do I have any options here that don’t end with me losing the house and all of my investment?
Asked on January 7, 2012 under Real Estate Law, Pennsylvania
Answers:
M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
You need to take all the documents involved to an attorney to review and help you as soon as possible. The verbal agreement is as good as the paper it is written on. Your joint tenant has the same obligation to pay the mortgage and house expenses as you. If you pay them on her behalf then you have a right to sue her. The bank or lending insitution will sue you both on the foreclosure. You need to figure out a plan here. Soon. Good luuck.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.