Should I sign the lease to my house or my mother?

[sherborne16]

I'm 19 and moving to a different city. My friend and I have a three bedroom house we are converting to a four bedroom. Her dad bought it and we pay him rent which is only $350 a month. While i'm at school part of it will be covered by my financial aid refund while I work to pay the rest of the rent. My mother is wanting to sign the lease but I feel like since I am paying for it I shoukd sign the lease so that I will have the legal and final say over my house. Every time I bring this up to my mother she gets upset. But legally even though i pay the rent she could still terminate my lease any time she wanted if I let her sign. And also I will be living there year round paying for this house out of my own pocket, shouldn't I be the one signing the lease?

[stein74]

She isnt supose to sign it if shes not the one livin there u are

[zadok]

You should sign the lease, yes. But the person who signs the lease absolutely does NOT have "legal and final say" over the house, and they can NOT "terminate the lease any time they want".

A lease is a binding commitment for the entire term of the lease. No matter whether it's you or your mother who signs it, the person who signs it is agreeing to pay the rent every month for the entire term of the lease.

What if you can't find a job, or you get laid off, or you discover that you can't earn enough money to pay all your bills? If your mom is the one who signs the lease, then your mom is legally responsible for paying the rent. I would think that would be a good thing for you. If mom's willing to undertake that commitment, why not just let her?

[michelangelo]

You can have her as a cosigner. That means should you default on the lease or fail to pay rent, she comes on the line. A lot of places require that form filled out especially if you've never lived anywhere and/or under the age of 21. This way, you both win. You have full responsibility of the place and your mom can take over should anything fall apart.

[egann]

I wonder if your friend's father might have contacted your Mom. It is common for landlords of young renters to want a co-signor to guarantee the rent, and that is all your Mom is likely trying to do for you anyway. This is a very common scenario for people with limited credit/rental histories that you obviously don't realize. But the bottom line is that if your landlord does not require a co-signor, Mom doesn't need to sign. I suggest you clarify the issue directly with your landlord (which doesn't mean ask your roommate if it is ok with her Dad) before you move forward.