Duo-Signed Lease

[Lithium]

If two people sign a one-year lease on an apartment rental, and one person decides they want to move out are they obligated by law to continue paying their share of the rent until the term has expired?

[Traditional_Ale]

Originally Posted by Lithium

If two people sign a one-year lease on an apartment rental, and one person decides they want to move out are they obligated by law to continue paying their share of the rent until the term has expired?

No, but they do have to give you a month's notice else you keep their damage deposit.

I think.

Troutman?

[BlackArcher101]

If their name remains on the lease, then yes.

[Lithium]

Just one of the two of moving, but both names are on the lease which expires January 31, 2010.

[BlackArcher101]

You should be getting the name removed from the lease (if he/she was smart). If the person remaining decides to no longer pay rent or trashes the place, the other person will be on the hook even though he/she hasn't lived there for months.

[4X4]

Originally Posted by Lithium

If two people sign a one-year lease on an apartment rental, and one person decides they want to move out are they obligated by law to continue paying their share of the rent until the term has expired?

Yeah, they are... But this is one of those "sucks to be you" situations ('you' being the person that is staying).
The person leaving can leave, and he can be sued for not paying the rent, but who is going to sue over rent? Especially if there is still someone in the property? The landlord doesn't care who hands him the money, just as long as he gets his money every month. In full.

If the guy that stays tries to pay half and sob to the landlord that the other guy left, the landlord will post an eviction notice for non payment of rent, and the guy living there is the one who needs to go find another place. Then the landlord will take half the deposit to make up for the missing half of rent money.

There are ways to enforce the contract, but it's rarely worth it - for landlords or for tenants. If you're the guy that's leaving, be a man and help your roommate find someone else. If you're the one that's staying, start looking for another roommate and don't even bother pursuing the guy that's leaving - it'll just create bad blood and you'll never get that money anyway. Just live knowing that the other guy was the dick.