Sage-Tips

Should you sign a lease with your boyfriend?

Love is not stronger than a legally binding contract. A residential lease is a legally binding contract. If you sign a lease with a romantic partner and your love nest falls apart, you can get severely screwed over. We don’t mean to discourage you from moving in with someone you’re dating.

Can my boyfriend move in without being on the lease?

The answer is yes. Anyone who is living in a rented apartment as a tenant must sign the lease. Otherwise, they aren’t legally considered as tenants. A person who lives in a rented space with a tenant without being on the lease is called an occupant.

Does my girlfriend need to be on the lease?

Yes, someone can live with the tenant without being on the lease. However, it is important to distinguish the difference between a guest and a long-term guest.

Should my boyfriend and I both be on the lease?

If you rent an apartment, both partners should put their names on the lease. That won’t keep the landlord off your back if your boyfriend or girlfriend doesn’t pay, but if you end up in small-claims court trying to collect from a deadbeat, you’ll stand a better chance of winning if his or her name appears on the lease.

Should both partners be on the lease?

How to Add a Spouse to a Lease. There is no law that says you and your spouse must sign a lease when you rent a home together. The law does, however, give your landlord some rights too — and the landlord is within his rights to insist you both sign.

How long can someone live with you without being on the lease?

Guests may stay a maximum of 14 days in a six-month period – or 7 nights consecutively on the property. Any guest residing on the property for more than 14 days in a six-month period or spending more than 7 nights consecutively will be considered a tenant.

What if you’re not on the lease?

If there is no lease, either written or oral, a landlord still can evict you. This is because the lack of a lease means that you are in a month-to-month tenancy at will and must pay rent on a monthly basis, or more frequently if you have an agreement to that effect.

How long can my girlfriend stay at my apartment?

How do I add my boyfriend to my lease?

He’ll have to go through the same rental process as you when you first applied to lease the apartment.

1. Talk to Your Landlord. Talk to your landlord about adding someone to the lease agreement.
2. Get on the Same Page with Your Landlord.
3. Find Out the Particulars.
4. Sign the New Lease Agreement.

Does a lease have to be notarized?

A lease agreement is a contract, and like any contract, there is no requirement that it be notarized.

What happens if my boyfriend doesn’t sign the lease?

Even though your boyfriend didn’t sign the lease, a judge might decide that a landlord-tenant relationship existed between you and your boyfriend if he was paying you money towards rent. It doesn’t have to be just money, though.

What happens if my Landlord finds my boyfriend living in my apartment?

If the landlord finds your boyfriend living in the rental, the landlord may file this notice. The landlord prepares a written statement that includes your name, the address of the rental property and a description of how you violated the lease, and it is served on you.

What happens when you sign a cotenancy with a landlord?

By signing a new lease or rental agreement that creates a cotenancy, you are, in effect, starting a new tenancy, so the landlord can increase rent immediately, rather than give you the usual 30 days’ notice (for a month-to-month rental agreement) or wait until the lease ends.

How do I get my boyfriend out of my apartment?

To avoid an eviction, you can talk to the landlord and attempt to reach a compromise. If the landlord approves your boyfriend living in the rental unit, the lease is modified or a new lease created. You, your boyfriend and the landlord sign the new document.