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pk10534 t1_j1qugge wrote

I would strongly encourage her to not “just choose to stop paying”. Barring unlivable conditions (mold, pest infestation, broken HVAC, etc), it’s kind of hard to just break a contract she willingly signed. Yes, breaking a lease illegally will have negative consequences for her, and I imagine going to court while you’re on a visa is probably not a good look.

Could you go into more detail about it not being “what she expected”? Depending on what she means by that, she might have some options. But realistically, unless it’s something really bad, she’s gonna either have to stay there for the duration of the lease or find 3 months rent to break it. For the same reason that it wouldn’t be fair for her landlord to decide he wanted her apartment back and that she had to leave immediately

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Iroshima OP t1_j1qv09j wrote

Regarding the expectations, house has a fly problem (they’re everywhere), the other house mates are filthy (refuse to clean shared spaces) and she was initially told that she would be able to move rooms (she didn’t get the room she wanted) in a few months but now has been told she can’t move anymore.

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pk10534 t1_j1qwv29 wrote

1.) Housemates: that’s not really the landlord’s fault, though. That’s a personal disagreement with her roommates. It’s not that I don’t empathize, but roommates not doing the dishes or picking up their clothing from the floor just isn’t gonna be viewed as a reason she can break a contract with her landlord. If the landlord is fulfilling his/her end of the contract, then that’s pretty much where their legal liability ends in a lot of cases. Your landlord isn’t responsible for mothering your roommates and making them clean the bathroom once a week

2.) Moving rooms: was this in writing, or an informal agreement? Because unless that’s a provision of the lease, that pretty much has no bearing on breaking it.

3.) flies: I’m gonna guess her dirty roommates play more of a hand in that than anything. Some fly tape and a good scrub of the apartment would probably make some good improvements to that problem, but I’m not sure what the landlord is gonna be able to do if her roommates continue to be disgusting.

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PoopIsAlwaysSunny t1_j1rx4o3 wrote

If the landlord rents the room directly to her they have a responsibility to make sure other tenants keep public spaces livable and clean.

If the other roommates want to be gross, landlord needs to kick them out or allow OP’s friend to move out. That’s part of the duty and risk of renting individual rooms out

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Iroshima OP t1_j1qx4or wrote

Nope. Moving room was a verbal agreement

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worm_odyssey t1_j1rggcb wrote

This may be a weird idea, but hiring a cleaner a few times a month may be cheaper than breaking the lease. See if she can work something out first before throwing away potentially thousands of dollars.

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