questions & answers

Question: My son rented an apartment with two roommates. I signed as guarantor for my son and another boy had his mother sign for his guarantor. The apartment complex never obtained a guarantor for the third boy and I'm being told I am responsible for covering the last month's rent/cleaning fees/etc. for this boy.

Answer: When multiple tenants are named on a rental agreement, they are commonly “jointly and severally liable” to the landlord for the payment of rent, meaning that the landlord may demand the full rental amount (and other obligations) from any of them. The terms and conditions of the rental agreement usually address this issue. If one of the tenants fails to fulfill their obligations, and the other tenants suffer monetary damages as a result, then in theory those other tenants may sue the delinquent tenant for compensation.