My friend got sued by landlord b/c of unpaid rent?
912142
First a minor can't legally sign a contract for housing related matters. He must go to court and so does his parents if that is what the paper stated. If they don't appear before the court then a warrant will be issued for their arrest. Why is it that your friend rented a place while his parents was away and didn't pay the rent? What was his causes for not paying the rent? Did your friend do any damage to the property? If so since he is a minor his parents will have to pay for it. Did your friend enter a yearly contract and not stick with it? Did your friend lie about his age when renting the place? All those things play into it. I suggest he fess up to his parents if they don't already know. Go to court!  Please note, since your friend is a minor he can't be sued actually it will be his parents who will get sued on his behalf.
320547
Highly unlikely, but also depends on city and or state landlord tenant laws where you live.  If you truly feel wronged by the situation I would address the landlord directly about the issue.  Although, in most cases the laws favor the landlord so you have to determine whether or not you really feel he was liable and negligible in the situation.
290200
I had been placed in a similar situation before...I did not take my (former) friend to court...\n\nWhen I loan an amount to a friend, I prepare myself to accept the eventuality of not getting paid. It will really hurt a lot if you will expect something to be paid and it will not come at all...\n\nBut let it serve as a lesson for future decisions. Anyway, you said that "it was only 500 bucks"...\n\nSince the amount is not much, don't let it devastate you...\nI am sure that any small misfortune that you may have experienced will be easily replaced by having a positive attitude.
971065
File a case against your friend so that the court will issue an order for his eviction.
499060
Get another roommate as fast as you can and sue the deadbeat in small claims.  The landlord will hold you responsible for the entirety of the lease.  The landlord is not required to go after the other guy for half, he can go after you for all of it.  I am sorry this happened to you.  I hope you can get another person to pick up half of the rent.  \n\nAlso, do talk to the landlord, see if offering to spiff the place up, and run ads at your expense, if you find a new tenant willing to sign a new lease with them, will they let you out of the lease.  \n\ngood luck!
908075
Wow, what a strange situation.\nIn general, landlords MAY NOT engage in "self-help" (i.e. throwing your stuff out the door) when a residential tenant fails to pay rent.  Assuming that your lady actually has rights to sub-lease the property to you, her only action would be to file an eviction / unlawful detainer action, with notice to you to cure the rent deficiency. Failure to do so gives you a cause of action  against her, especially if you incurred any damage to your property, etc.\nBut this situation is complicated by the fact that (a) you're a roommate and not just a tenant, (b) she is clearly nuts, and (c) she may or may not have the ability to lease / sublease the place to you anyway.  \nSince it doesn't sound like you have a written lease, but rather a week-to-week lease, it's certainly best if you get out of there ASAP.  (I know that's kind of a bummer, since you probably are getting a good deal.) \nThese landlord / tenant disputes are one of the areas of expertise of Legal Aid -- they can usually help you if you cannot afford an attorney.  Good luck.
714886
I don't believe he can legally do that without a court order.  My step-father owns a couple of rental properties.  And when someone is behind on their rent even if they are really behind he has to go through all this legal garbage before he can do anything.  And even with a court order for their eviction then he has to get a sheriff to remove them from the apartment if they still aren't moved out by the date that the judge orders them too.  The whole process is long, expensive, and stressful for the landlord.  That is probably why that person's landlord is just trying to get them out by boarding up the place.  They should call the police and have them deal with it.  Good luck to your friend.
10795
As usual with legal-related questions on Yahoo! Answers, too little information exists to answer this question adequately.  The state you're in would be helpful.  Not posting the same question five times would be helpful.  Nevertheless, I'll answer what I can in this question, and post another question if you need more details.\n\nAt this date and time, it's getting a little too late to deal with the problems adequately.  A notarized note will not be very helpful - after all, the dispute is not about whether the house exists in that condition, but whether you or the landlord should be responsible for the cost of those conditions.\n\nTaking photographs and video is helpful, but again it only shows that damage exists, not who is responsible for it.  The video, though, may be able to show that it wasn't from your abuse of the apartment, but from natural wear and tear that the landlord refused to repair.\n\nDo you have any record of communication with the landlord?  That's the strongest piece of evidence you'll have.  You'd be able to show that you notified the landlord, or that the landlord acknowledged receipt of that request.\n\nIt's a little too late now, but you should have sent certified mailings to the landlord.  The landlord would have had to sign a card acknowledging that he received your letter, and you would have proof that he received your request.  With just 10 days to go, it's too late for that.\n\nI would carefully catalog everything that has happened, with each date you noticed the problem if possible, if the cause was natural, when you notified the landlord, and the entire history of the dispute.  Photos and video are helpful if you go to court.  A notarized statement is not very helpful.  Records of communication with your landlord are extremely helpful.  Otherwise, if you don't get the security deposit, you may simply have to go to small claims court with the recordings and hope that the judge believes your story.
11813
I would talk to a lawyer to discuss your options. There might be a chance the landlord is found guilty of negligence.
886192
do you have copies of the complaints you made? on what days you made them? and to whom?\n\nif so, contcat your local/govenment fair housing authority.\n\nas for free rent...not likely. if they sent people to fix it, in a timely fashion after yoru complain was made, (within a week) then you have no case to sue.
735021
Yes you can! When you with hold rent the send you a court notice, take the proof (pictures, letters saying you called to have it fixed and whatever else proof you have) with you to court, tell the judge the reason show the proof and that they didn't fix it and that you asked to have it fix and nothing was done. If the judge sees it in your favor you won't have to pay the rent until it gets fix (he will order then landlord to fix it), and you won't have to pay the late fee because you had probable cause, but if he doesn't see it in your favor, you'll have to pay the owed rent money right away and possible the late fee
883231
Time to get serious about the situation.  You have a contract and she has voided the contract with the bad check so she is out.  Did she tell you in advance about the bank problem?  If no then she is a con-artist and she will promise to pay in a few days and there will always be delays, stories etc.  She is bad news and you don't need to support her.   Kick her out asap and let someone else be duped by her.  Trust me I am in a similar business and I have heard every sort of excuse and sob story.  Don't give her any more time.  Go through a legal avenue so you son't have to listen to her stories first hand and fel sorry for her.  The next landlord will get the same bad business.
558324
You left, you broke "the lease" you have lost your money...move on. YOu can sue her in civil small claims, but don't count on getting anything back. Better to spend the time on making more money to replace it. Get over it.
793991
No that is why they made you sign a lease so that you would pay what you were owed.\n\nYou should have tried to sublet it to someone who would pay the rent (or most of it) so that the landlord did not lose money and sue you for it.
918400
your friend can look into legal aid. Or call a lawyer and ask if they know any lawyers that can help.
371187
Do I understand this correctly - Your friend's mother was evicted and the landlord (who evicted your friend's mother) is refusing to give your friend information?\n\nIf your friend's mother was evicted, SHE should have that information - any information that is available.  I assume she does not care to share it with her son.\n\nThe landlord's attorney has confidentiality obligations to his client.  I don't believe the eviction and judgment dates are available on the Net (and may not be available to the public). \n\nYour friend should talk to his mother and get her to talk about what she knows.  Surely, she has been set notices if a forwarding address was given to the landlord and/or attorney.  \n\nI am not a lawyer.
746125
You need to call the building or housing inspector who will come out there, take a look at it and order your landlord to make repairs if necessary.  \n\nSmall claims court and lawyers have nothing to do with this.