Posted by GL - ON on July 21, 2003 at 19:51:55:
You qualify both, and make both sign the lease so EACH is responsible for the FULL rent.
responsible for the rent - Posted by lehua
Posted by lehua on July 21, 2003 at 16:05:37:
If you have two or more people renting a house as roommates, do you have one person ultimately responsible for the whole rent on the lease, or do you hold each person separately responsible for his/her portion? Which is the best way?
“Jointly and severally” - Posted by Ken (in Iowa)
Posted by Ken (in Iowa) on July 21, 2003 at 20:04:32:
The legal term is “jointly and severally.” You need to have that term in your rental agreement. It means that each individual is responsible for the full rent jointly with the other tenants and separately (severally) on his or her own. If one person skips, it doesn’t mean he or she is no longer liable, it just means that you might have a harder time collecting from that individual. It might be easier to go after those who remain. If you explain this clearly to the tenants before they move in, you’ll have a much easier time getting them to comply with it later on, plus you will encourage them to be responsible to each other as well as to you.
Good luck, hope this helps,
Ken (in Iowa)