Cleveland, OH asked in Landlord - Tenant for Tennessee

Q: Can landlord lock you out and keep your belongings for nonpayment of rent?

3 Signatures on lease, one moves out, other two pay full rent for several months. Can no longer afford the 3rd person portion (physically moved out gave landlord keys remains on lease.) Can landlord turn 2 names that are current on their portion of rent over to credit bureaus due to nonpayment of 3rd lessors portion?

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1 Lawyer Answer
Leonard Robert Grefseng
Leonard Robert Grefseng
Answered
  • Columbia, TN
  • Licensed in Tennessee

A: A lawyer would need to see the actual lease to accurately answer this question, but the answer is probably "yes"- I suspect that all 3 persons on the lease are jointly liable for the monthly rent. In other words, just because there are 3 signatures does not mean that each person only owes one third of the rent. From the landlords point of view, all of the rent is owed as long as any of the tenants occupy the property.

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