h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'd put their stuff outside and change the locks, but I wouldn't keep their stuff, they'd probably call the cops and charge you with theft or something. The landlord sounds reasonable, is he expecting someone to pay back rent for the people who aren't paying? If not then I think the best thing you can do is kick them out and get trustworthy flatmates.

Well, yes, come to think of it, a co-student of mine is the son of a martial arts teacher!

Yes, he says we all go if they don't pay, unless we pay over 2000€ of their back rent!

I'm out of my depth. Maybe there's a lawyer on H2G2.

Thanks anyway I'll try some more tomorrow, it's 3:00 AM now...

Okay, goodnight.

Why don't you try calling the police to find out what kind of options you have? Seems to me that it's the landlord who's owed money, not you, so perhaps *he* can hold their property (and I'd go for all of it--not even leave 'em a clean pair of underwear to change into.) The landlord is in a position to change the locks as well. Why do they need keys when they don't pay their rent? If you can get the landlord to inconvenience them enough they'll probably figure out a way to come up with the past due amount. If not, you'll still be liable, but you'll be no worse off than you are at the moment.

Good luck! What a crummy situation to land in so soon after leaving your parents' home.

http://www.mieterbund.de/

There is a phone number given on the start page

Thanks, we'll try that. We confronted them this morning, but they're being very evasive, claiming it's not their fault, it's the government's etc....

I've seen a similar situation, years ago, in the UK unfortunately so don't know whether the legalities are the same. Even if only one person is responsible for collecting the rent (or phone bill, or electric or whatever), you can still claim back the money from the others in a small claims court if their names are on the rental agreement/contract. Unfortunately this means that you'd have to buy them out first and then claim it back. Perhaps the courts could order them to pay the landlord direct? Argumably he should be doing this, not you, but you could maybe pre-empt him.

The landlord is probably within his rights evicting all of you but I'd be surprised, under the circumstances, if he voluntarily got rid of three reliable tenants. He's in a difficult situation himself, and it looks like he's trying to get you to sort out the problem for him.

Good luck

We are paying the landlord directly, but we are all liable for the full rent being paid, we have one contract together rather than 5 seperate ones, and so he can only evict all of us at once! But we have just got the two who owe back rent of 6 1/2 and 3 months respectively to sign a document that they promise to pay all debts within the next two weeks, so that we will have a basis for going to court with if need be

Mmm. Never a nice situation going to court with someone you live with. Sounds like you've got them to make a commitment though.

I hope so We don't really want to take them to court, but we simply can't afford two parasites, one out of work and home all day and the other just not getting paid and at the lake all day, while we are students who work at Uni and have a job to pay the rent!

Glad you've achieved at least some temporary relief.

Your situation brought to mind a particularly long and awful floor meeting at a dorm in Cologne, about who was responsible for cutting the hole in the dish-soap bottle too large, so that the soap ran out too quickly!

Communal living has its downside.

What a discussion! I looked at a flat that had four seperate toilet rolls, marked with names, to avoid arguments! didn't move there, needless to say...

Very wise of you!

I thought this one was the right choice Now it seems that they've not paid rent since before I moved in!

Now that is unfair. They should have told you. You walked in on an ongoing situation. Bummer.

They told nobody, and kept the landlord's letters secret, we wouldn't have known about it if we hadn't met him in the hallway!

That's false pretenses!