When you sign a lease and agree to “joint and several liability,” you are agreeing that you are each fully responsible for the full amount of the rent, for fulfilling all conditions of the lease, and for any damages to the rental. What this means practically is that if one of your housemates decides to move out in the middle of the year without finding a replacement tenant, your landlord can still require that you pay the full rental amount, not just the portion that was agreed upon between you and your housemates. Also, if you decide to break your lease early and a court finds you did not have a valid reason to do so, your landlord can seek to recoup the money for the rest of the lease term from either one or all of you. This also means that if there is damage to the rental, the landlord can hold you all responsible, even if only one of your housemates caused the damage.

If you are considering signing a lease with housemate, it is important to fill out a Housemate Agreement outlining your rights and responsibilities with respect to your housemates.