When a roommate leaves

Roommate ditches before the lease is up. Now what?

You need to immediately notify your landlord that a tenant left. A leaving roommate allows the landlord to legally evict you, because one of the key terms of the lease (length of stay) is being broken. An eviction under these circumstances is uncommon, as landlords are usually happy as long as the rent is being paid in full and on-time.

However, your landlord may exercise their legal right to evict if:

• You've been less than the ideal tenant. Loud parties, complaints to management, late paying rent, etc.
  
  
• The landlord lacks confidence that you can keep paying rent. This is especially true if you are the only other roommate and were splitting costs 50/50 with someone. To put your landlord at ease, tell them that you're looking for a roommate and you'll have another one immediately.

When you finally do find a new roommate, you need have your landlord approve of them first. Don't commit your vacancy to a roommate until your landlord meets them. More than likely, the landlord will perform a background check and research his/hers rental history. They may even run a credit check.

Regardless of your situation, don't plan on your landlord discounting your rent for one month or accept installments. If you have a landlord that is willing to, that's great -- but don't count on it.