Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Tennessee

Getting out of a forged rental contract?

Ok I'll try to keep it short since I've only got 1250 characters. If it needs for explanation, I will respond.

Me and 2 other guys, taylor and jon, went in on a lease for a house for 1 year. Jon would never come sign the papers, so he just told us to get someone to sign it. I didn't personally do it, but I could figure out who it was by looking at the papers.

Now, he wants to move out. I talked to the landlord, who of couse said we were still bound to the rest of the lease and had to pay out the remainder. I told Jon this, and he said, ''I never signed any lease, so it's not my problem, but yours.''

Now my question is, is there any way Jon is bound to the lease? I wouldn't think so, but I can't really afford an extra payment on top of mine. Should I tell my landlord about this? Or is there anything that can be done? Is there anything the landlord can do to Jon for living in his rental house for 4 months that he didn't pay for? Or am I just completely screwed and left with all of Jon's payment? Thanks.


Asked on 12/24/05, 12:40 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Dr. Michael A. S. Guth Tennessee Attorney at Law Assists Pro Se (without a lawyer) Parties

Re: Getting out of a forged rental contract?

Why don't you find a third person to take over the payment of rent from Jon? That is called subletting. If you can't afford the extra payment, then you need to move out to a smaller house that you can afford. If you explain the financial crunch, your landlord may let you off the hook -- assuming you leave the house clean and give him a month or two to advertise for new renters. For future reference, if you get a security deposit in advance from a co-tenant, that deters the person from breaking the lease and moving out.

http://michaelguth.com/prose.htm

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Answered on 12/24/05, 10:34 am


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