i rent a house from my grandparents, and i have a roommate living with me. she has not paid me any rent or money for bills and i want her to move out, but am afraid she'll take things of mine. i have found items belonging to me in her room so i know she would try.i want to change the locks so she can't take anything out of the house without me knowing. she is not on my lease and we have no written agreement of any kind. can i change the locks and not be in any legal trouble?
2006-09-30 11:26:26 · 18 answers · asked by Lacey H 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
Put a lock on your room, then give her written notice and file a case in small claims court.
2006-09-30 11:28:37 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't know if there will be any legal problems or not but I think that you should be able to lock her out. She should have paid her share of bills and rent. I think that legaly since the lease is either verbally or if you have signed a paper, then you should be able to throw her out. The point of leasing an apartment or house out is to pay the rent and since she hasn't done that, You have the FULL right to throw her out.
I hope that things work out for you. I would advise you that in the future you need to have a lease or an agreement made up for the next and future room mates that you may have.
Best Of Luck!
2006-09-30 11:31:36 · answer #2 · answered by needanansnow 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You might want to check. In Cali, you can't do that, whether or not she has paid any money. But if she doesn't know that, oh well. I hate when people take advantage of the laws and make renting out difficult. If she doesn't know any better, tell her to get her crap out now. And be there when she is packing... don't forget to get that key. But if she does know the law, you may have to do it legally, and it takes weeks.
Also, not being on the lease still may not give you the right. Think about it. For all the courts knows, she could had been allowed to stay for free, that's why she isn't on the lease. You can't even kick out free people on a moment's notice.
2006-09-30 11:32:10 · answer #3 · answered by Speaking_Up 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If she isn't entered into an agreement with you then yes, you can put all her stuff outside and change the locks on the doors. If she bothers you from that point then you call the police on her....she's a freeloader and needs to be removed NOW...If your not comfortable with doing this then have your grandparents (owners of the house) send her a statement showing what she owes to them and to give her 30 days to pay it in full. If she doesn't pay it by the 30 days she needs to leave and if she doesn't leave then they can call the police and have her removed. Make sure they keep a copy of everthing they would be sending her.
2006-09-30 15:22:04 · answer #4 · answered by Lipstick 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
in some states a verbal agreement is just as binding as a written. however, since there is no official lease and she has not paid any money, then yes you can. Do not put her stuff outside once you change the locks. Once you deprive her of the ability to get her things (by changing the locks) it is your responsibility to take care of her stuff until you arrange a time for her to get it.
2006-09-30 12:10:09 · answer #5 · answered by Lesleann 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If she is not on your lease and not paying Rent or Bills. She is considered a guest. Change the locks and put her loafing butt out. However, do not throw anything that belongs to her away. Pack it up and give her a reasonable amount of time to come get it.
2006-09-30 11:33:29 · answer #6 · answered by Daddy Big Dawg 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Her things are in there and you ALLOWED her to stay there though she is not on your lease. Police can do nothing if you allowed her to stay in there. That's her property and if you change the locks without her having ALL of her things then she can sue you and take you to court. Best bet is for you to have the police there when she comes to get her things and then change the locks. That way no confrontation, no getting sued, and no worry about her taking your things in front of the police.
2006-09-30 11:31:51 · answer #7 · answered by Cam 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I think so. You need to give her a written notice then make sure you are there when she moves out; a police officer can be there free of charge if you ask and you feel she may get nasty.
Make sure all of your door locks have been changed.
2006-10-01 05:53:19 · answer #8 · answered by Big Bear 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, because she is not on the lease, and there is no written agreement, there is nothing she can use against you even if she wanted to go to court.
2006-09-30 11:36:37 · answer #9 · answered by infernal_seamonkey 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can change the locks;but have a talk with her 1st. She needs to get some religion, that is stealing. Tell her of the options. One is that if she wants to stay; she will have to pay you by check and it must be on the Bank Draft system. Her bank will draft it to you automatically on the day of your choice such as the Third day of the month. It will be sent to your bank account. You can also set it automatically by Email. It is the same, but is done by Email. Bad checks will be her fault & the bank will charge her. LOL.
2006-09-30 11:35:17 · answer #10 · answered by Charles C 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋