Can my ex-roommates sue me to help pay utilities if I moved out?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Can my ex-roommates sue me to help pay utilities if I moved out?
I was living in a house with 2 other roommates. I have recently moved out seeing as I don’t think the landlord was living up to his part, also because my other roommates and I hadn’t been getting along for sometime. I still fully intend to pay my part of rent but now they say they are going to take me to small claims if I don’t help pay for utilities (which are not included in rent; all utilities were to be in our own names). They also said the landlord will be there to on their side. Can they do this?
Asked on December 20, 2011 under Real Estate Law, Wisconsin
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
If the utilities are not part of the rent or otherwise included in the lease as something for you to pay, the landlord should have no role in any lawsuit, other than arguably providing testimony/evidence based on his/her knowledge. However, if you had an agreement, including an oral agreement, with your roommates that you would pay a part of the utilities, that agreement is enforceable even if it was not part of the lease, and they may sue you on it.
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.