What is a lease?
A lease is an agreement made between a tenant and a landlord. One of the most important things to remember about leases is that they are binding contracts.
Once you sign a lease, you are bound to it with very few exceptions. Even if you change your mind, the landlord can still collect on rent that you have agreed to pay.
If you sign a lease with other tenants, you are probably signing a joint and several liability lease. This means you, and each of your roommates, are agreeing to be responsible, individually, for the entire amount of rent due. So, if one of your roommates moves home early and stops paying rent, the remaining tenants will still be responsible for paying the full rent to the landlord. Failure to do so could result in eviction for the remaining tenants.
Come to Student Legal Services for more information about joint and several liability, and your options if a roommate stops paying rent.
- Understand your lease before you sign
- Make an informed decision about your off-campus housing. Student Legal Services attorneys can explain the terms of your lease, and talk to you about your rights and obligations as a tenant under Indiana law, before you sign. Schedule an appointment for a lease analysis at Student Legal Services before you sign a lease.