Roommate Situation: What Would You do?

[Watercolors]

So, 3rd time I called the county on my mentally ill roommate, they finally diagnosed her and she's now in a "stay of commitment" at the local county hospital. I finally found a place to move into, June 1st. Meanwhile, little disasters continue to happen inside and around her home that have me reeling with panic. 

1. Her main bathroom has had black mold spots all over it since I moved in. Tonight, the soap holder fell OFF the tile shower wall when I set soap down on top of it. 
2. I had to pay Orkin 2x now (total of $700) to first come out to plug a hole in her basement underneath windows where mice got in (I got rid of the mice nest that was under her kitchen sink this fall). The 2nd time, she had an infestation of spiders this spring and ants everywhere. 
3. Her cat (whom I have bonded with since my roommate basically neglected her cat and everything else, staying in her room with her door shut) is sick but my roommate's sister says I cannot adopt the cat when I leave in 2 weeks. 
4. My roommate never mobile deposited my last 5 months of rent checks, so I have to now PayPal the rent to her sister who lives in another state. 

Today, after the bathroom tile soap holder fell off, I took photos and texted the roommate's sister those along with my damage deposit check ($725). I also filled out an online questionnaire to the local legal aid county office to ask an attorney to write a letter on my behalf, that will protect me from being blamed for the black mold that definitely existed before i moved into my roommate's house to rent her spare room. I do not think i should have to pay for any repair beyond the $725 damage deposit I wrote to her sister -- m roommate who is the home owner.

My question is: since my roommate (the home owner) is now an inpatient at the local hospital and her sister lives out of state, does my damage deposit check for $725 protect me from being sued by the homeowner and/or her sister who is now her sister's medical power of attorney? 

Follow-up question: I love the roommate's cat. But the sister said I cannot adopt the cat and take the cat with me. Do I leave the cat to her fate of being neglected by my roommate afterI move out? Or, do I involve animal control to protect the cat? 

I didn't know which forum to post this under. What would you do if you were in my shoes? Was contacting Legal Aid for help a reasonable decision? There is a form on the Legal Aid website called "Emergency Repair Problems" and another legal form called "Emergency Tenant Remedies Action" that the Legal Aid attorney can file on my behalf that covers these reasons: 
 

Quote

 

Order the landlord to take care of the emergency right away.

Set a hearing to check on the landlord’s compliance with this order and to consider this other relief:

i. Give me a refund of rent I paid to cover the time period of the emergency.
ii. For any repairs the landlord doesn’t get done by the court’s deadline, fine the landlord as

iii. Order the landlord to make all the other necessary repairs.
iv. Lower my rent to $ per month until the month after all the repairs are done.

For any repairs that the landlord does not get done by the Court’s deadline, authorize me to pay for the repairs myself and take it off future rent.

v. Enter a judgment in my favor for $ to compensate me for rent paid while there were repair problems, including attorney’s fees. Let me collect the judgment by taking it off my rent.

vi. If I am forced to move, order the landlord to put me into another apartment or to pay for temporary shelter and moving costs and to return my security deposit right away.

vii. Other:

 

All of my roommate's friends (and the roommate's sister) first raved about what a great roommate I was, taking care of my roommate by managing her house, taking care of her cat, feeding the cat, feeding the roommate. Now, they have all "ghosted" on me when I have reached out to these same people for help. Not financial help, more like, resources, and for support (esp. about the cat). None of these people will respond to my text messages. One texted me curtly today, "You at [roommate's]?" I responded that I was, and added that I was a little taken aback by the curt tone of her text. She then went off on me, how "kind" she was and deferred any questions I had to the roommate's sister. This was the same "friend" who urged me to call the county on her "friend" 3 times, because no one else would. So, these same people who were relieved someone else took over their wellness check duties and got their friend into the hospital as an inpatient, have no use for me anymore it seems, and have completely left me to figure out the fallout of this situation on my own without any support. It hurts my feelings. No, I didn't take care of my roommate because I *had* to, but I'm not a jerk, and I was stuck here, so I thought, might as well try to help her. And its just turned into a real sh*t show for me. Or feels that way.  

I tried to find other roommate situations this entire year with no luck, and I had lost my job mid-way through the winter, so I was sort of stuck at my current roommate's house. And this is how it's turned out. 

Any advice or feedback is welcomed. Thanks. 

Edited May 19, 2020 by Watercolors

[d0nnivain]

Learn about something called the implied warranty of habitability.  When you can't live somewhere due to mold or vermin, you are not obligated to pay rent.  

No the $750 security deposit does not preclude you from being sued.  It is a source of funds from which the landlord can secure payment for damage.  The family may claim damages so you best take LOTs of pictures & keep that $700 receipt from Orkin.   If you can get the sister to sign off on your departure but don't count on getting the security deposit back.  Still press for it which will give you a great defense if you do get sued. 

Do not steal the cat.  

Count the days until June 1.  Get out & don't look back.  You did everything you could.  

[Watercolors]

Thanks d0nnivain for your reply. How do I ask my roommate's sister to "sign off" on my breaking the lease? I created a lease from a legal template and had the roommate sign it last year, to state that my renting her guest room would be month to month, with 30 days notice of ending the lease. I texted the sister already on May 1st that I was leaving June 1st. Do I need to have the sister write something "official" and emailed to me? 

I texted photos of both Orkin receipts to the sister, along with text photos of the mice nest, and mice poop that was EVERYWHERE in my roommate's kitchen (it was disgusting where it was) behind the microwave, inside her kitchen drawers, underneath the kitchen sink where the large paper nest was. I bought wooden mouse traps and killed about 21 mice myself, before Orkin came in to seal the hole created by the mice that they used to enter my roommate's house. So, my roommate's sister has been kept in the loop via text messaging and photos of everything that I've "repaired" since moving in last summer. The soap dish shocked me though. I mean, the mold is on the bathroom ceiling, walls, and inside some of the tile grout on the shower wall that I couldn't scrub out with any amount of bleach I used 

I have taken a TON Of photos of the bathroom's mold problem along with other areas of the roommate's house that were already in a state of "disrepair" before i moved in. I literally did not know WHO this roommate really was, when I met her last summer. I did not know about her mice infestation, her hoarding, her mental illness (untreated at that point). I called the county to take her 3 times; the first two times she managed to leave after 3 days and not follow up with any treatment. But the third attempt, I got her family and friends involved as an intervention, and we called the county and got her to the hospital and all called and gave testimonials to the hospital social worker that started the process towards getting her in front of a county mental health judge for a hearing on her mental state. At least now she's getting help as a "stay of commitment," and has to comply or she will be 100% committed to one of our local mental hospitals for up to 15 months before she can leave. 

And, you're correct about leaving my roommate's cat behind. As much as I've bonded with this cat (and this cat with me), I can't take it with me and I can't worry about its fate after June 1st. 

The soap dish falling off the tile wall in the shower last night just felt like a slap in the face from the universe to me. Like, I can't escape this situation unscathed financially or legally. Of course I will try to escape it both of those ways. Like, really? Now of ALL times to fall off? When I'm trying to LEAVE. 

[d0nnivain]

Pictures of things & texts are NOT legally binding.  You need actual copies, not emails.   

This lease you created using template language does anything in it specify how you much give notice. Most legal boilerplate does & it usually specifies certified mail.  Unless you follow the directions in the lease on how to cancel, it's not a valid cancelations.   It's a lot late now & you could very well be on the hook for June's rent but this is what I would do: 

1.  Write an actual letter: 

Dear [sister]: 

This will formally confirm my text message to you of May 1, 2020 where I informed you that in accordance with paragraph [insert the correct clause] I notified you that I would be vacating the premises as of June 1, 2020.  This ends the month to month lease I had with your sister.  As her power of attorney kindly acknowledge same. 

As you further know, I paid $700 out of my own pocket to Orkin for pest control.  Copies of those receipts are attached.  Kindly make arrangements to reimburse me when you return my $750 security deposit.  

Sincerely, 

watercolors 

2.  Send 1 original of that letter certified mail return receipt requested, signature required.  That is the green card you get from the post office.   Send another copy of the same letter to the sister via US mail.  If she refuses the certified mail, you still have proof that she got the regular mail.  

3.  See what happens.   If the sister gives you grief, you tell her in writing -- again an actual letter not some text -- that the vermin & mold made the house uninhabitable, which was a breech of the lease by the sister thereby freeing you of the obligation to pay the rent.  Tell her that if she signs a release she doesn't have to reimburse you but she still has to return the security deposit.   Unless somebody can prove that you damaged the apartment, you should only be on the hook for at most one more month's rent.  I don't think the sister will chase you but you never know. 

[Ruby Slippers]

I'd do everything I could to cover my bases legally with the paperwork, then get the hell out of there. This woman and her house sound like a total disaster zone.

As the renter and not the owner, you have zero obligation to pay for these problems. You have an obligation to report them, and she has the obligation to pay to fix them. If they won't agree to let you adopt the cat, you'll just have to leave it behind. Unfortunately, there are many animals neglected by owners who can't take care of themselves, let alone anyone else.

Be careful with giving duplicate rent payments. I'd only do that if they return the uncashed paper checks to me, or pay to put a stop payment on each of them. You don't want them cashing the checks later and bleeding more money out of you.

[Watercolors]

d0nnivain and Ruby Slippers: 

Thanks so much for your advice. 

BATHROOM REPAIR: Turns out, I had to pay the guy who reattached the soap dish holder because roommate's sister refused to. So, I told the sister that I would just deduct that from my final rent payment. I knew the sister wouldn't pay the guy -- she has a reputation for doing that. 

Both the roommate and sister did not pay their physical therapist friend last summer, who they hired as an independent contractor to give their mother 2 months of physical therapy before she died. Their own mother had to pay the physical therapist friend, after the physical therapist told their mother that neither daughter would pay her for services rendered. That just paints you a picture of the type of women I am dealing with. 

RENT PAYMENT: Since my roommate never mobile deposited or cashed my rent checks for the past 5 months, I am not comfortable leaving behind those paper checks for her. So, I have to find a way to pay the roommate's sister, and communicate the reason why via email (since I learned from the Legal Aid attorney) that text messages are dismissed as legal documentation proof in conciliation (small claims) court.

Most likely, I will go to my bank, and ask the bank manager for help. I will not leave paper checks behind since they "expire" after 6 months. And, I want to walk out of this house of horrors June 1st and NEVER EVER have to deal with these two women again. They are both "nice" people, but I really don't want to stay in touch with either of them after June 1st for any reason whatsoever.

The lease I drew up last year was only valid until October 2019. I never renewed it after that (I was in the process of moving out actually as I had found a job; but that job was dissolved 5 weeks after I started by the small company, so I was stuck with continuing to live w/the roommate -- lucky that she let me stay so I had a roof over my head, but financially and psychologically the cost was high for me, in the end). 

What I plan to do, is go through my bank statement of the past 5 months, print them out, highlight cat food/litter purchases, food purchases, gas purchase and add that up for each month. Then, use that as proof that I was essentially fulfilling the role of a live-in PCA (personal care attendant). The Legal Aid attorney went through my lease with me over the phone and I took notes, so i know which legal forms I have to fill out, then email to the roommate and her sister, so that I am legally protected from coming after me for more rent money or anything,

The sister has refused to give me her stress address (she lives out of state). Otherwise, I'd mail her the paper checks from my bank, or at the very least, a cashier's check. To protect myself. Legal Aid attorneys may or may not be able to intervene on my behalf. I will have to fill out another online form asking if an attorney can help me with the rent issue, since they are not taking walk-in appointments at my Legal Aid office. 

SOCIAL WORKER: I did update my roommate's social worker with my move-out date (she already knew, but I wanted to remind her since she manages multiple inpatient cases). I also mentioned my roommate's cat to her; she was surprised to learn about the cat as she told me she was in the process of talking to my roommate about what the roommate's plans are for when she will be discharged. So, I threw in the fact that I had told the roommate's sister that I would adopt roommate's cat.

The social worker told me she would follow-up with me before June 1st about the cat. Their neighbor has a key to roommate's house, so I will just leave it up to the neighbor to care for the poor cat, should the social worker forget to follow-up with me.

I also let the social worker know that i was going to pay roommate's sister the rent from the past 5 months, since roommate had never mobile deposited my rent checks in the first place. I had to pay the sister 5 months worth of rent previously, via PayPal. I thought I should have this documented by my roommate's social worker, who is handling her inpatient "stay of condition" so that she knows exactly what is going on. And, this way, she is a more reliable witness than the roommate or roommate's sister. 
 

 

[clia]

This whole situation seems so bizarre.  I don't understand why you had someone out to repair the soap dish.  Was it really that urgent?  If the soap dish fell off due to normal wear and tear (or a mold issue), then that probably isn't your responsibility.  I honestly would've just left it.  

I would not double pay the rent to the sister.  Who actually has the five months of paper checks in their possession?  You?  Your roommate?  If you've paid the rent according to the lease, you shouldn't have to do more than that.  It's not your problem that your roommate never cashed the checks.  And if the sister won't give you her address to mail the checks, then that's not your problem either.  Hopefully the lawyer from legal aid can advise you on what to do, since they can see the specifics of your lease and the situation.  But put everything in writing.  And for God's sakes, stop paying for things in the house that you aren't responsible for.  You'll be out in a week -- just leave it be.  I wouldn't expect to see your security deposit again or any reimbursement for all the expenses you've paid, unless you want to take her/them to small claims court.     

 

 

[Ellener]

It's the way humans react to 'home', I always want to leave everything perfect too every move...

My last two homes were shared homes, and in both cases I found myself taking responsibility for other people's severe ( and largely insoluble ) problems. 

In both cases the friendships involved will never be more than lukewarm again! If that.

There's a sense of regret even though I know full well the problems existed before me and will go on after me...

But the biggest lesson for me was you don't know someone until you live with them, and people who don't live with them don't know the whole picture.

I was traumatised for a few weeks @Watercolors and a couple of close friends said 'you need to draw a line under this now'. So I have.

I'd keep anything record-wise you think might be needed, since you have a distrust of the people involved, but you have no obligation to fix things. I always do everything in writing anyway if it involves money.

@clia is right, let it go now, you've done what could reasonably be expected in the circumstances.

[Watercolors]

Hi clia, 

"Bizarre" is an understatement. It is a highly toxic situation for me. I had NO IDEA this woman was so mentally ill when I agreed to rent a room from her last summer. 

I fixed the soap dish problem and documented it and got the repair cost deducted from my final rent owed, and filled out paperwork from the Legal Aid website to protect myself. Yes, I could have never told the roommate's sister about the soap dish. But I really did not want the roommate to 'come after me' after I've moved out June 1st for it. So, better to fix it now and leave knowing that I've left her house without causing any damage that wasn't already there. 

I won't double pay rent. The roommate left my 5 months of paper checks on her bed. After county services picked her up and took her, I ripped up the checks and put a stop payment on them. I don't plan to leave those paper checks on her kitchen counter. Checks expire in 6 months. The likelihood of my roommate ever depositing those checks is close to zero. While that would be great for me, it would still leave the unpaid rent I owe her legally, just hanging there. 

Plus, by paying the sister the rent (and letting roommate's social worker know of this plan), and documenting this to both the roommate and sister via email (email is recognized in conciliation court as 'legal' document), then I have protected myself legally. Basically, I will email the repair form, etc. to both the roommate and her sister as a way to legally protect myself, from them both trying to seek more money from me after I leave June 1st. 

I don't expect to get my security deposit back and could care less. I just want to be done with this whole horrible roommate experience. 

Hi Ellener, 

It sounds like you've been through what I'm going through, with two previous roommates you lived with. 

1 hour ago, Ellener said:

But the biggest lesson for me was you don't know someone until you live with them, and people who don't live with them don't know the whole picture.

That is the biggest lesson for me with this roommate. When I met her last summer, she seemed totally normal to me, although I didn't know the whole picture. If I had known the whole picture, I would NEVER have moved in.

She and I were not even friends either - just two complete strangers connected by a mutual acquaintance. I don't feel any regret except around her poor cat's fate. Her cat and I both bonded for the past year. The sister knows I want to adopt the cat, because the roommate is incapable of caring for anyone, let alone herself, or her cat. And yes, I could leave the cat in roommate' house for the neighbor to care for. I just want to rescue this poor cat from this terrible house. 

So, do you live with roommates now, Ellener, or alone? I will never live with roommates again after this horrible experience. I am definitely feeling traumatized by it. 

[Ellener]

1 hour ago, Watercolors said:

do you live with roommates now, Ellener, or alone? I will never live with roommates again after this horrible experience. I am definitely feeling traumatized by it. 

Alone, well with my little dog! I love it, and appreciate life's basics way more than I did when I owned my own place ( which was damaged in Harvey )

I've been here less than a month and the trauma has already faded, just give it a little time.

PM me if it will help!

[Watercolors]

I finally left the roommates house today, early in the morning, and drove to an AirBnB that I'm staying in for a few days until I get the keys to my apartment and get some furniture. 

What I wasn't expecting to happen was for the roommate to call me from the mental hospital. It was a very awkward phone conversation because I just assumed I'd be in touch with the roommate's sister after I moved out about paying the back rent. Now I come to find out, the sister will be in town later this week. So, now I have to figure out if I give the roommate one check for the back rent of a few months, in the form of a money order, or risk giving the roommate paper checks which I know she will not bother to mobile deposit. When the roommate asked me why I was moving out, I just said, "Oh, I found a place." And she didn't ask me to elaborate thankfully. 

I wouldn't have left this morning had her sister not texted me that the roommate was being discharged today. But the roommate isn't being discharged until tomorrow, b/c after I left the house this morning the sister texted me again, to tell me, "whoops sorry, she's being discharged tomorrow." 

No, I didn't take the roommate's cat. I will miss that cat but I'll get over it. Now, I just have to deal with the back rent which will be a big pain as I don't know what my roommate's mental state is at this point. I think I'll just go with one money order as that has the same value of cash and if she loses it, it's on her. Paper checks would be a mistake, I think, given her history of never mobile depositing my rent checks herself, and me having to PayPal her sister my rent payments. Ugh. Wish me luck. 

[Ellener]

Congratulations and good luck!

 

[Watercolors]

11 minutes ago, Ellener said:

Congratulations and good luck!

 

Thanks Ellener!

[clia]

What does your lease say about how to pay the rent?  Do whatever the lease says.  The rest (e.g., if they cash the checks or  not) is not your problem.  

[Watercolors]

6 hours ago, clia said:

What does your lease say about how to pay the rent?  Do whatever the lease says.  The rest (e.g., if they cash the checks or  not) is not your problem.  

The lease was only written cover me until October 2019. I had found a job in September and that lasted for about 5 weeks I had planned to move out the end of October 2019, so my lease technically ended October 31, 2019. But I was let go from that job after 5 weeks, so then I continued to live at my former roommate's from Nov 1 - May 31st. So, no lease after October 2019. I already told the sister I would PayPal her a specific amount that I felt was reasonable given how much money I spent on food and cat litter and cat food etc.,. taking care of her sister. I was using my money to support 2 people and a cat. 

Edited June 1, 2020 by Watercolors

[introverted1]

On 6/1/2020 at 10:56 AM, clia said:

What does your lease say about how to pay the rent?  Do whatever the lease says.  The rest (e.g., if they cash the checks or  not) is not your problem.  

Even if the lease is now expired, you should pay through whatever process it specifies.  In fact, you should have probably left the original paper cheks.  It's not your problem if the roommate didn't cash them.  Your responsibility is to pay as defined by the terms of the lease.  Anything after that is not your problem.  I definitely would not pay the sister nor use a money order, unless you have a way to confirm whether the MO is cashed. Maybe check with the lawyer on this so you are protected.

Good luck in your new place.  Adopt a kitty!

[Ruby Slippers]

I also would not do a money order. If she's careless with checks, she'll likely be careless with that, too, and then everybody loses that money. With a check, at least the money doesn't vanish if the check isn't cashed. 

Congrats on moving on! 

I know how y'all feel about wanting to help the "wounded birds" of the world. It's my nature, too. The key is to help, but NEVER let somebody drag you down. If you're strong and stable, ultimately you have more to give, more consistently. 

[Watercolors]

So even though the lease legally ended October 31, 2019, I need to still pay the ex-roommate something for Dec, Jan, Feb, March, April and May. She is extremely careless with money and checks. She won't even pay her ex-husband child-support for their teenage son. And when she hired her friend to care for her late-mother, she refused to pay her FRIEND. Her friend had to ask ex-roommate's mother to pay her, for her physical therapy services and the mother paid the friend. 

If I PayPal the sister those months of rent, at least I know the rent is paid. HOWEVER, she could keep that money for herself (she didn't keep my rent payments when I previously paid her via PayPal however) and claim that I still need to pay her sister for those last months of rent. 

If I mail the checks to the ex-roommate, I know 100% she will not even open that mail or mobile deposit those checks. She is not allowed to drive per her discharge orders, so she will only be able to mobile deposit the checks. If I mail her a money order, that's essentially throwing away money because a money order is the equivalent of cash. 

I did consult a lawyer through my city's Legal Aid society, and the lawyer told me to use paper checks. But did you know, that paper checks expire after 6 months? So, knowing my ex-roommate as I do, its June now; she has until November to mobile deposit any paper checks that I mail to her. But she won't and the paper checks that I send to her for rent unpaid will expire. If I send her a new set of paper checks in November, it will be the same situation; she won't bother to open her mail (her friends had to come over to her house to force her to sit there and watch them go through piles and I mean PILES of mail and ask her about opening each one). 

What should I do? 

-paper checks: knowing she won't mobile deposit them and they will expire in 6 months? 

-money order: the equivalent of cash and that money will be forever lost knowing my ex-roommate doesn't open her mail unless her friends take time out of their schedules to come over and open her mail for her (she's 55 years old, fyi). 

-don't pay anything at all and wait for the ex-roommate to contact me, because legally the lease I had her and I sign expired in October 2019. 

*To add: my ex-roommate has a "stay of commitment" which means if she violates any terms of her discharge, she will be committed by the state for up to 18 months as an inpatient. I don't know what her discharge terms are. I have the phone number to her social worker who I had told everything to about living w/my ex-roommate which included her not mobile deposing my rent checks so its in my ex-roommate's file that she is irresponsible with money. 

Edited June 4, 2020 by Watercolors
had to add something more to the post

[Watercolors]

Oh and I plan to adopt 2 senior cats! ❤️ I can't wait!! ❤️ 

[Ruby Slippers]

Ask the roommate and sister how they want payment handled. Don't worry about paying till you hear back. Pay, and get on with your life. You don't need to concern yourself with this woman's problems. You're moving on and no longer have to deal with them. 

[clia]

Even though your signed lease ended in October 2019, you typically just go month to month after that under the same terms if you don't sign a new lease.  

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I honestly don't know how many ways to tell you that your roommate's carelessness and irresponsibility is not your problem.  If she never cashes your checks, it's not your problem.  

Did your original lease specify that you had to pay your roommate by check each month?  If so, that's what you do.  Write her a check for each month.  (I honestly still don't understand why you tore up your prior checks.)  What she does with it is none of your concern.  You should absolutely not be Paypaling someone else money who you don't have a lease agreement with, because the roommate can come after you and say you didn't pay and didn't have her permission to pay someone else, etc.  You cannot go wrong if you pay the way the lease tells you to pay.  If it were me, I would leave a stack of checks on the kitchen counter for each month I owed and call it a day.  If you can't do that, then mail the checks, with delivery signature required, to the roommate  with a cover letter explicitly stating what it is for.  Then wash your hands of all of this and walk away.  

 

Edited June 4, 2020 by clia

[introverted1]

1 hour ago, Watercolors said:

I did consult a lawyer through my city's Legal Aid society, and the lawyer told me to use paper checks. But did you know, that paper checks expire after 6 months? So, knowing my ex-roommate as I do, its June now; she has until November to mobile deposit any paper checks that I mail to her. But she won't and the paper checks that I send to her for rent unpaid will expire. If I send her a new set of paper checks in November, it will be the same situation; she won't bother to open her mail (her friends had to come over to her house to force her to sit there and watch them go through piles and I mean PILES of mail and ask her about opening each one).

WC, listen to your lawyer.  Your legal responsibility ENDS with paying as prescribed.  You are not responsible for ensuring that your roommate doesn't lose the checks, fails to deposit them, spends the money on a psychic, whatever.

45 minutes ago, clia said:

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I honestly don't know how many ways to tell you that your roommate's carelessness and irresponsibility is not your problem.  If she never cashes your checks, it's not your problem.

^^^  Exactly!!

[introverted1]

53 minutes ago, Ruby Slippers said:

Ask the roommate and sister how they want payment handled. Don't worry about paying till you hear back. Pay, and get on with your life. You don't need to concern yourself with this woman's problems. You're moving on and no longer have to deal with them. 

If you're going to do this -- and I actually recommend against it; you should just do what the lease requires (yes, I know the lease expired but in most cases that just means it converts to month-to-month with the same terms intact -- get it in writing from the roommate (assuming that's who you have the legal tenancy agreement with).

Your goal is not to ensure that the roommate and/or her sister do the right thing with your rent. Your goal is to ensure that you pay according to the legal document you signed (the lease) and then get out of crazyville!

[Ruby Slippers]

54 minutes ago, clia said:

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I honestly don't know how many ways to tell you that your roommate's carelessness and irresponsibility is not your problem.  If she never cashes your checks, it's not your problem.  

Yes. If I were you, I'd do some reflecting on why you felt so compelled to involve yourself in this woman's drama. Personally, when I've experienced craziness from roommates in the past, I've become very clinical and business-like, finding a way to move out as quickly as possible while covering all my bases legally.

[Noproblem]

can you report the cat for animal service please, you have to save the cat!
you can't just save yourself and look the other way toward the cat!

 

Edited June 4, 2020 by Noproblem