Broken Lease, Five Years Ago.

[IMISSNY]

Originally Posted by happyhelper

The problem is that he cannot leave, because he has a broken lease from five years ago. Please respond accordingly.

Is the place that he owed 5 years ago an apartment complex?

Either way, if it is an apartment complex he could contact the corporate office. Not the apartment manager but the corporate office and explain to them that what the deal was.

They may not care, but if this debt is over 5 years old and they have not make any attempt beside placing it on his credit report to collect the debt then it is most likely written off as bad debt with corporate.

This means they are not expecting that money again they just took it as a wash.

2nd I would make an attempt to see who came behind him to rent the place in other words when was it rented out to the next person? The reason he wants to do this is often time apartment complexes will see you break your lease and then they will rent the apartment out to the next person and continue to charge you. This is illegal you cannot collect rent from two parties for one apartment unit.

With this information he should one offer a settlement. Settle for something like 30% but dont give them an even # give them a odd # like 2415.02 that is all I got. Tell them you want to clear this debt and if they say no! well tell them ok, but realize this, the debt has been out for 5 years, another 2 years and it will be one out of the limitation for you to collect. Also, if you come after me, I promise you I will file bankruptcy, (just pushing the envelope) and in this economy I will win. Thirdly I know that another person moved into the apartment a month and a half after I moved out- so either way you can take it or leave it, but some $ is better than no $.

[chicagojlo]

This friend sounds like the kind that would take any and all help offered, and ultimately throw it all back in your face.

There are plenty of people looking for roommates or tenants that won't check credit or who won't care about the story once explained. Craigslist is usually full of ads like this.

Just don't sign anything for this person or give them cash. And don't take it personally when a year from now nothing has changed.

[Ultrarunner]

I evicted a tenant that later contacted me and asked to settle...

I told her she could pay 50% and be done with it and she agreed to meet me at the office.

When she didn't show, I called and she said that she didn't need to pay me because she had found a landlord to rent to her.

Five years had lapsed and evidently, she is still the same person