Apartment issues: Taking on new roommates for august and having the bills in my name

[Genecks]

My current situation is that my two roommates will be moving out near the end of July. New leases start on August 1st. However, I will be graduating in December.

 

As such, if I choose to stay, I will need to get new roommates. However, the bigger problem is putting the bills in my name, which would involve electricity, gas, telephone, and Internet. I'm not sure if this is a good idea, because maybe people will ditch the apartment the first few weeks. Furthermore, because I'm not staying a whole year, I'd have to transfer the bills to someone else come December, so that might deter keeping the roommates around.

 

I took an active role on ditching television, because I think it's detrimental to studying.

 

I don't want to put the bills in my name, so I'm thinking about finding another apartment nearby. My current rent is about $425 USD with about $100 average monthly utils.

 

I suspect the landlord (a nice guy) will help me get new roommates. I wouldn't have such a problem if the ordeal was getting new roommates.

I live about three blocks from the University, which is about a 7 minute walk. So, I don't feel that there will be a problem getting new roommates.

 

What do all of you think? Ditch the apartment for another? Take on the responsibility of the bills?

 

I like where I'm living. It's quiet and the distance to the campus is considerate.

But I definitely don't want the bills in my name and want to avoid such a problem.

[Bignose]

One advantage to having bills in your name is the opportunity to build a decent credit rating. I assume after University, you'll be getting a full time job and buying a car or home, etc. Creditors like to see a history of paying bills on time every time, it makes them more willing to loan you money and at a lower interest rate. Of course, the flip side is that if you screwed by people ditching you and you can't pay, like a lot of things in life, that credit rating can go down a lot faster than it goes up.

[imatfaal]

Will re-iterate what Bignose said - but from different angle, I am established with a good long term job etc etc but still suffer from the bad credit rating I built up many years ago at University. Its pretty hard to build up a good rating - it is damn near impossible to expunge a bad one. In England it is the bizarre situation that if I had been convicted of a minor criminal offence my record would have been wiped clean by now, but as I had a county court judgment against me for unpaid poll tax and the bailiffs came round I still suffer because of it. Be more careful to avoid bad credit rating than building up a good one.

[imatfaal]

edit fr double post

Edited May 12, 2011 by imatfaal

[CaptainPanic]

Get some new roommates, and tell them that it makes more sense if the new guys take the responsibility of the bills because you'll be there only for a couple of months.

 

If the house is ok, and the location is awesome, then people might just take the room and accept that they must pay the bills for the house. You're the salesman, and you have a good deal for them.

 

In other words: do your best to make it someone else's problem, and make it sound like it's a good deal.

Edited May 12, 2011 by CaptainPanic

[swansont]

Get some new roommates, and tell them that it makes more sense if the new guys take the responsibility of the bills because you'll be there only for a couple of months.

 

Seconded. Especially if there is a charge to switch, like a phantom disconnect/reconnect fee, which would be a selling point to the new roomies.

[Hal.]

Written agreements are the way to go if you end up in court ! You should watch Judge Judy in case you don't know , she is a famous 21st century philosopher of almost trivial U.S. court cases and has a following of countless millions in Europe .