Sign a lease as a tenant with no income?

Question

Recently a friend of mine left an abusive situation. He lived with this girl who has a job and signed a lease. He signed a lease as a tenant but he had no income at the time and now he has moved out and she demands he pay back rent for when he lived there. 
There was no written agreement of payback or anything. I am just curious about what is legal or what should happen.

Ryan M · Accepted Answer

Was he paying rent while he lived there? If not, she has no damages to sue for.

R P · Answer

If he lived there, she can sue him for his share of the rent and she will probably win. He is just as responsible for the rent as she is during that time. In fact, since he signed the lease, he is responsible for the rent for the entire term of the lease, so she can go after him for half of the full amount rather than just for the time he lived there.

It doesn't matter that he did not have job or that there was no agreement between him and his ex-GF

It doesn't matter that he did not have  job or that there was no agreement between him and his ex-GF

linkus86 · Answer

Your friend is free of liability to the girl he lived with because the girl would have to prove a history of your friend chipping in for the rent to claim any money after his departure.  But the landlord could pursue your friend if the girl defaults on the lease because his signature makes him just as responsible for the rent and it does her.  But if the landlord knew your friend had no job and no money, he likely wouldn't bother naming your friend in a law suit unless he had to evict.

I

Anonymous · Answer

Nope. Your friends getting sued. No amount of whining on this site is going to change that.

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Sign a lease as a tenant with no income?

4 Answers