Room Mate failing to pay the bills...

[bush]

Originally Posted by OFFICER737

As for taking property or hiding it....DON'T!!! That is theft without a written order of forfeiture from the courts.

Theft isn't theft when the stolen property no longer exists.

[OFFICER737]

Roll the dice if you wish

Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English thiefthe, from Old English thIefth; akin to Old English thEof thief
1 a : the act of stealing; specifically : the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it b : an unlawful taking (as by embezzlement or burglary) of property
2 obsolete : something stolen
3 : a stolen base in baseball

[kevinwilly]

Lock the fusebox.

Turn off the power when you are not home.

Or just kick the living shit out of him.

Thankfully, i lived with friends in college. They all had more money than me. I was forced to ask them to float me money for a week once in a while, but i always made good.

This kind of situation is why i don't have a roommate now. I live in a house ALL by myself. Me and my bikes....

Sure, and extra 300 bucks a month from a roommate would be nice... but so is having everything be mine. And being able to walk around the house naked.


AHHHH.....

[streetillegal]

If the bills are in your name that means you have a right to limit their use...u can tell him he cant use the phone tv internet w.e until he has paid.....might work but u cant babysit all day right so good luck with that....other than that u might be screwed u might be able to convince him to sign papers with regards to not being allowed to use that shit until he has paid and have a other room mate witness it and put down measures that will be taken if the contract is void by him....then if witnessed by yourself and other room mate there might be some grounds for legal action.

[Krazy Hawaiian]

gun point. if they still fail to pay up give em teh boot. Roomates SUCK.

[03silvers]

I live with 2 friends, i pay all the bills and they pay me. No problems though, every month i give them a total.

I would talk to the other roomate about what to do. I would take the main breaker out of the box when i wasnt home. no electric will make anyone pay the bill or leave

[Krazy Hawaiian]

^^^ careful.... I lost a best friend that way.....

[malvolio]

http://www.courts.state.va.us/faq/frame.html

People wonder why there are so many lawsuits in this country. The reason is because it's damned easy, and in your situation, it's warranted.

[RayOSV]

Originally Posted by Krazy Hawaiian

^^^ careful.... I lost a best friend that way.....

If you had to take away his electricity, he wasn't your best friend.

I think removing the main breaker when you leave is brilliant.

[bugeyed]

Originally Posted by RayOSV

If you had to take away his electricity, he wasn't your best friend.

I think removing the main breaker when you leave is brilliant.

I think he means he lost his best friend who got electrocuted messing with the fuse box.

[bro-man]

Originally Posted by OFFICER737

First check to see if your state is an "oral contract" state. If so then you do have some recourse but it will be a little lengthy. Show proof that you have made all the payments and over paid your portion when others couldn't (receipts) then go to the local courthouse and get an eviction order. Even if he is not on the lease he is still a resident of that domicile. Along with the eviction order file a case in small claims court for any monies they owe and continue to pay like usual. If they agreed to pay a 1/3 or whatever they are reponsibile for paying that to you and the judge will rule on that and the person who loses the case will be responsible for the court fees and such as well.

As for taking property or hiding it....DON'T!!! That is theft without a written order of forfeiture from the courts.

Co-sign...best answer here.
Even if he is NOT on the lease you still can't just kick someone out, or withhold gas, electric, etc.. You guys have to be very careful who you live with because they have the ability to make your life hell. Tenants have waaaay more rights than landlords.
Please do NOT go down the road of petty one-up-manship...it will only cause you more stress. The best advice is document and go to court.

That being said..
In certain cases..a good beating, (or threat of one) can solve all your problems with roomates . On the other hand..assault charges are no joke. Be careful.

[coronadozx]

how are you paying the bills? i.e. check, money order, credit card, automatic deductions etc.

start documenting this, and gather up past bills/receipts of payments and match them to your form of payment (canceled check). make a good case that shows you have made all the payments. once you have that, threaten to take him to small claims court. if he still doesn't pay, get a court date and take him to small claims court in order to present your argument(s) to the judge. judges are kind of smart people and if you prove that you're making the payments while your deadbeat roomdawg isn't, the verdict might be in your favor. at the very least, get a court date and if he doesn't show, then you win and a judgement is against him for what he owes.

good luck and let us know the outcome.

[RayOSV]

Originally Posted by bugeyed

I think he means he lost his best friend who got electrocuted messing with the fuse box.

Holy $hit I hope not. Sorry if that was the case.

[Krazy Hawaiian]

Originally Posted by bugeyed

I think he means he lost his best friend who got electrocuted messing with the fuse box.

Now that would have been priceless.

[SqDancerLynn1]

Turn off you cable & telephonr/internet put your TV in storage & any other appliances that belong to you. Then wait. Make sure computers are password protected