Jessica asks :
Hi Jessica,
So I arranged to live in a house with 2 of my friends in September for the upcoming university year. All 3 of us have paid the deposit and the landlord is waiting for us to sign the lease. However, one of my friends had to repeat a few of her exams as she failed them in May. She promised me before I made arrangements with the landlord that she would 100% pass and be able to attend university the next year. She is now after sitting one the exams and has said she is worried she failed. I don't know what to do now, because if we sign the lease and she fails her exams me and my other friend are left to pay double for the rest of the year, but if we don't and she passes she will have nowhere to live. The exam results come out on the 3rd of September and we have to have signed the lease way before then. We can't find another room mate as she will be insulted and will have only a few days to find a new place to stay as we start college very shortly after the 3rd (if she passes that is). Also if we manage to get the landlord to hold out on us signing the lease before the 3rd (which is doubtful) it gives us very little time to find other places to stay if she fails. I'm very stressed out and would gladly appreciate your advice. Thank you :)
Hi Jessica,
Agony Aunts on Female First
As is with a lot of university rentals- often you can pay per room- so maybe find another house that is charged by room only and not the entire house. That way if she is unable to carry on then you won’t be affected by the absence of her rent. The landlord can then put the advert out for someone else, taking the pressure off you to make arrangements for a full house.
Perhaps check your contract and find out if this applies here- you might have overlooked this part of the contract and it might be that you are in fact charged on a room by room basis. In which case then if she can’t make it- someone else will be able to fill the space but the search is taken out of your hands.
If you are unsure then it might be wise to hold off on signing the contract as you could end up in an uncomfortable financial position if you do.
Could you scout out some more houses that work on an individual basis as a backup if the landlord charges for the house? It might offend her to look for another roommate, however if you don’t want to find yourself in debt then you might need to put this to one side and be practical about your upcoming living situation. If she was in your position what would she do?
tagged in Friends University yin and yang agony aunt
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