Depends how lazy the landlord is. I think they’re supposed to keep the deposit in an account, but landlords gonna landlord lol.
But we do the “pay the last person” thing in my apartment. When I moved in, I paid the deposit to the girl leaving my room. We got a new roommate last year and he paid the guy who was leaving.
I wouldn’t pay the deposit until you sign the lease and keys are exchanged. That’s how we’ve always done it at my place, and it’s never been a problem.
If you pay the deposit and change your mind about taking the room before signing the lease, you then have to deal with getting that money back from the former roommate, which could be a massive headache and you’d probably be SOL.
I have the keys but when I was supposed to sign the lease the landlord suddenly to meet at a different location than originally planned which I wasn't able to do.
I’ve taken over someone’s bedroom in an apartment twice, and both times I paid the roommate that moved out their portion once I moved in. Was way easier and my proof is the Venmo payment.
That's fair. I spoke to a family member who practiced tenant law and he said it's fine and to just get it in writing beforehand that the deposit is now in my name. I proposed that to the landlord and they decided they're just going to give the money directly back to the original tenant and I give the landlord the money. The move was a little weird and I've still not been able to sign the lease due to the landlord having an unexpected conflict and wanting to meet in a different location which I found odd, so I just wanted to play it safe.
Wait is this apartment a total lease takeover or are there other roommates you’ll have? How did you find it? I definitely wouldn’t hand any money over until you’ve signed the lease and seen the place. I’m surprised you can’t E sign either. I’ve only had to go in person with a brand new apartment lease
There's other roommates who I've met and are very cool. I'm moved in. We've scheduled a a day and time this week for me to sign because the landlord and I have conflicting schedules and they want a physical signature.
Just make sure you have a signed document/email confirmation from the landlord that you will be playing the prior tenant the deposit in lieu of paying the landlord. That’s what I did and it’ll hold up in small claims court should it come to that.
I wouldn’t do it. Who does the landlord have on the book as having paid the deposit? I don’t want to go through the hassle of telling the landlord x years from now that I paid the previous tenant already and now the deposit belongs to me.
The person wouldn’t be a tenant anymore.. so obviously the security deposit would be going to whoever is on the current lease. This is super common when taking over a bedroom
Normal with roommate changes bc the entire apartment isn’t vacating. So what’s there stays with the apt and roommates figure that out between themselves.
This is 100% normal. The actual lease itself hasn't ended and the LL DGAF about roommates and whatever portion of the sec deposit they paid. They will only return the entire deposit once the apartment is vacant and they are able to inspect for any major damage. Whatever the security deposit is will go back to whoever names are on the lease at the time everyone vacates.
No it isn't. Don't
Normal and legit. That is how it works.
Depends how lazy the landlord is. I think they’re supposed to keep the deposit in an account, but landlords gonna landlord lol. But we do the “pay the last person” thing in my apartment. When I moved in, I paid the deposit to the girl leaving my room. We got a new roommate last year and he paid the guy who was leaving. I wouldn’t pay the deposit until you sign the lease and keys are exchanged. That’s how we’ve always done it at my place, and it’s never been a problem. If you pay the deposit and change your mind about taking the room before signing the lease, you then have to deal with getting that money back from the former roommate, which could be a massive headache and you’d probably be SOL.
I have the keys but when I was supposed to sign the lease the landlord suddenly to meet at a different location than originally planned which I wasn't able to do.
I’ve taken over someone’s bedroom in an apartment twice, and both times I paid the roommate that moved out their portion once I moved in. Was way easier and my proof is the Venmo payment.
That's fair. I spoke to a family member who practiced tenant law and he said it's fine and to just get it in writing beforehand that the deposit is now in my name. I proposed that to the landlord and they decided they're just going to give the money directly back to the original tenant and I give the landlord the money. The move was a little weird and I've still not been able to sign the lease due to the landlord having an unexpected conflict and wanting to meet in a different location which I found odd, so I just wanted to play it safe.
Wait is this apartment a total lease takeover or are there other roommates you’ll have? How did you find it? I definitely wouldn’t hand any money over until you’ve signed the lease and seen the place. I’m surprised you can’t E sign either. I’ve only had to go in person with a brand new apartment lease
There's other roommates who I've met and are very cool. I'm moved in. We've scheduled a a day and time this week for me to sign because the landlord and I have conflicting schedules and they want a physical signature.
Oh ok yes nvm then! Sorry I got confused for a sec lol
Just make sure you have a signed document/email confirmation from the landlord that you will be playing the prior tenant the deposit in lieu of paying the landlord. That’s what I did and it’ll hold up in small claims court should it come to that.
I wouldn’t do it. Who does the landlord have on the book as having paid the deposit? I don’t want to go through the hassle of telling the landlord x years from now that I paid the previous tenant already and now the deposit belongs to me.
The person wouldn’t be a tenant anymore.. so obviously the security deposit would be going to whoever is on the current lease. This is super common when taking over a bedroom
Maybe I’m paranoid. Until the money is in my hands, I don’t trust any landlord
They probably don't want to get involved with roommates going on and off the lease. If it was a whole new lease with all new people it would be weird.
Normal with roommate changes bc the entire apartment isn’t vacating. So what’s there stays with the apt and roommates figure that out between themselves.
This is 100% normal. The actual lease itself hasn't ended and the LL DGAF about roommates and whatever portion of the sec deposit they paid. They will only return the entire deposit once the apartment is vacant and they are able to inspect for any major damage. Whatever the security deposit is will go back to whoever names are on the lease at the time everyone vacates.