Roomate broke lease agreement…will filing small claims work?
Yes, you can probably successfully sue your former roommate. The signed lease is sufficient to show that your former roommate committed to pay a portion of the lease. You’ll need to learn the small claims process for your state and local court. Usually you’ll need to send him a final demand letter, pay and file claim, have him served at his home or work, attend mediation and court hearing, etc. The process may take at least a month. And even if you win, there’s no gaurantee you’ll collect the funds right away. You’ll need to know his employer and bank for garnishment. If he’s unemployed or has low pay, you may not be able to collected very much at all.
