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Question
My flatemate's disappeared and left me to cover her share of the rent and bills. We have been renting a house together for about six months. A couple of weeks ago she quit her job and decided to leave. She packed all her things and left without telling me. I came home to find a message saying she'd be back at some point to sort out money but she's not been back and I can't get hold of her.
I need the money she owes to pay the rent. We're both on the tenancy agreement so I was wondering if there was any way I could get the money from her. I can't afford to pay for it all on my own.
Answer
From the information you have given, it would seem you and your friend are joint tenants. You're likely to have a joint tenancy if someone else's name is on the tenancy agreement as well as your own.
As it sounds like you're joint tenants, your friend is still responsible for the rent until the tenancy is ended, or until you all agree to enter into a new agreement with the landlord. Until the tenancy is ended, both you and your friend are equally liable for the rent. Your landlord could ask either of you for the money.
If you both agreed to pay a share of the rent to the landlord, say half the rent each, then you may be able to argue that your friend owes you this money as you both entered into the contract with the landlord.
If you cannot come to an agreement with your friend about paying her share, you may be able to take her to court. If the money you want to claim from your friend is less than £5,000 you could use the small claims court. If you want to do this, or just want more help and information, you can go to your local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) for free, confidential advice.
In addition, if you can't afford to pay your rent, you may be able to apply for housing benefit to help you pay it but there are special rules for young people who want to claim it. You can also get help with this from a CAB.
Updated: 15/04/2010
Question answered by Shelter
