If I was evicted for non-payment of rent, can my landlord’s wife sue me for the money due if she was never on the lease and didn’t sign it?
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If I was evicted for non-payment of rent, can my landlord’s wife sue me for the money due if she was never on the lease and didn’t sign it?
Asked on March 24, 2012 under Real Estate Law, Connecticut
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
You can only be sued by the landlord; however, the landlord's wife could certainly be an employee or agent of the landlord, acting on his behalf in seeking to collect on unpaid rent. If she is acting on the landlord's behalf, that is legal--not every employee or representative of a landlord has to be on a lease, and in the case of larger landlords, it is impossible to have everyone with whom you may interact named in the lease.
Also, if she was an owner of the property, she again has the right to sue for unpaid rent even if she did not sign the rent--all the owners of a property collective are you landlord, even the ones who do not sign a lease.
Therefore, it certainly could be the case that the landlord's wife could sue you under the circumstances you describe.
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