If his name isn't on your lease, that might give you some leverage, bcs you could use "telling the landlord" as leverage. I can understand why splitting the rent 3 ways might seem unfair to her, since it's not like a 3BR apartment; she's thinking that she's sharing HER space, and the only thing that changes is the mount of electricity being used, or whatever (though, if you're being not being charged for hot water, I bet the electrical bill doesn't change much). But I also think she can't have an extra person in there for the same amount of money. Because unless he spends all his time in the bedroom, then she is also sharing YOUR space with him. (are you splitting it halvies right now? What way does she compensate you for her having the bigger room? When I had the bigger room, it was because I had paid the full security deposit and the last month's rent; my roomie didn't; I also had the full lease responsibility, and she didn't; also she had major use of the living room bcs I did crafts and stuff in my bedroom) Is there somewhere between halvies and thirds? rent is $1150; half is $575; third is $383. What if the big bedroom becomes $650, and the little bedroom is $500? They split the big one, you pay for the little one. The thing is, maybe she COULD get a 1BR for $750, but it would be a major pain, plus she'd have to pay for breaking the lease, even if it was only her half. And if she breaks her lease, maybe it would be harder to get a 1BR. One point you can make is that, w/ him living there (and really this has been a problem all along, but now it's official and sanctioned--which means that now there is no "doing her favors by putting up with it" and in fact, it's time for her to start paying you back for the favor you did her all these months), that means the use of the SHARED space is more crowded. You're less likely to find yourself w/ the living room to yourself now and then, because 3 people will be using it; even if she works late one night, he'll be likely to be home (this will be true for all of you, but you're not in the "family unit"); she'll never be out for a little while because she's visiting her boyfriend; they'll live in the living room instead of her occasionally "living" in the bedroom, which she might be more likely to do if he weren't there. When they're both home, they'll be talking to each other, instead of her talking w/ you, or nobody talking at all. I've never known in what happens in a two-names-on-the-lease situation. What if she wants to break the lease and you don't? Is the whole lease broken, whether you want it to be or not? If so, what recourse do you have in terms of her agreement with you--small claims court? If she wants out, then can you get another roommate to take her place on the lease? That might be the best--to speak to the landlord to see if you can take over the lease, or replace her with someone else. Frankly, I would NOT want to live with someone and their boyfriend. Talk about feeling like an outsider, in your own home! She's changing the rules, bigtime, and probably you should have said something long ago, even before you moved in together, about what the agreement would be in terms of boyfriends staying over, etc. You *should* have told her you had a problem w/ him living with you, if only so you'd have a bargaining chip. (and in fact, you actually DO have a problem w/ him living with you) This is one reason why the landlord I had back when I shared an apartment would not put 2 names on the lease. My name was on the lease, and I was responsible for the rent, etc., w/ permission to have a roommate. best of luck And the lesson for us all--set up rules on this sort of thing before you even agree to go apartment hunting with one another.

nf23, I just received your email today (after I posted the above comment). Thank you for the nice compliment, btw. ;) I reread your post again. Just wanted to clarify: She had a lease that expired 6/1/2007. A written, month to month lease that did not extend beyond 6/1/07. In other words, did the month to month lease involving her 'officially' terminate on 6/1/07? -OR- was the lease month to month and 6/1/07 was just the beginning of a new month, and not the final expiration date? I truly don't know if the emails would hold up in court as sign of commitment on her part. I would tend to think not (people talk about things all the time, following through is often an entirely different matter.) However, all kinds of things are acceptable in court it seems, so perhaps a judge would rule that her emails were sufficient enough to bind her to the agreement (an unofficial 'promissory note' for lack of a better term). If you can fill in a few blanks, and clarify a few details, perhaps we can offer more accurate advice to help you out of the unexpected bind you're in.

It's only been one month I'm not going to start looking without trying other things first, Can you afford the full rent on your own? Because it sounds like it's going to be very difficult to impossible to get it out of her. Unless you're willing to subsidize your friend's living expenses, I wouldn't try too many things first, if I were you. My roommate just doesn't understand that when she doesn't pay, that means I will have to Of course she does, she just doesn't care. She is taking advantage of you. You are probably going to have to kick her out. You are absolutely going to have to pay whatever part of the rent she doesn't. I would just pay my half and let her see the consequences or get evicted but it would go against my credit score if we are late You misunderstand your obligation. It wouldn't "go against your credit score" if you are late-- if the rent is not paid, you will be evicted and you will be responsible for any unpaid rent up until the landlord is able to re-rent the apartment. Whatever is owed will be withheld from your security deposit, and if that doesn't cover it, you will have to pay the difference. If you don't, you can (and probably will be) sued. When you signed that lease, you agreed to be responsible making sure the landlord gets rent paid in full when due (as well as other things like not trashing the house, etc). The way you've described it, you are renting from the landlord and your roommate is subletting from you, which essentially makes you her landlord. This, imho, is a good thing. It makes it clear that the apartment is yours and that if she doesn't pay you rent as outlined in that agreement you (good for you!) signed with her, you can evict her just like any other landlord would. (And then hopefully find another roomie who will pay rent.) But please understand that whatever she does or doesn't do, you do have a legal obligation to the landlord to pay the full rent amount for the full term of the lease that you signed. How well do you know her? Is this her first apartment out of her parents house? (if so, do you know her well enough to know that for a fact?) It's possible she's just stupid and selfish, but starting out from day one not paying her share makes it sound an awful lot like she intentionally set out to take advantage, and if that's the case she may already know all the ins and outs of the legal system as far as evictions go, so find out your local laws and be careful of doing things the right way or you could be stuck supporting her for quite a while. As I said, I wouldn't wait too long if I were you. Good luck.

Unlike other forums here, folks rarely respond or come back to share their results of apartment disputes. It would be great if you would, Chi. I live in NYC and often hear stories like this (different details, same emotion). The credit score comment only indicates the roommate is not very bright. Even someone with borderline credit should choose to resolve it as you suggest than risk a lease skip or break -- especially if they're considering a mortgage in the next few years. A lawyer can tell you instantly if the original roommate contract is binding or simply a promise of good faith. About 10 years ago, in my early 20s, I was subletting from a friend and the landlord called to tell me there was a potted plant too close to the fire escape and I needed to move it within 24 hours. I told her I wouldn't be back in town for a week but would move it then or she could ask the building super to do it. She informed me she was also an attorney and that if it was there in 24 hours, I would be sued, lose and have to pay all her court fees. I immediately interrupted her saying that she'd need to send, in writing, any further direction to my attorney (a friend of the family) and could no longer contact me regarding a potential lawsuit. I called the lawyer to let him know and he sent her an email with his address, but she never sent any communication. I moved the planter when I returned to town a week later. My point is to not make a decision based on threats of a suit. Be reasonable but do not simply acquiesce to bullying.