need some help with apartment debt D:

[belfydelrae]

I have no idea where to start with this. And if this is in the wrong forum I humbly apologize. ><

Last year, I broke the apartment lease and left eleven months early, as my sister who was splitting the rent with me, up and left after six months of personal issues, leaving me with 11 months of remaining lease. -_- (approximately $7000) Right after my sister left, before I up and left the apartment, I visited the company that leased the apartment, and explained the situation. They only said I could do a payment plan, and would have to pay for the rest of the lease. Now I barely made $600 a month, so hearing the company state such, in addition the the stress I was experiencing, was not to my liking and I fled.

The apartment was leased under my name only, in Washington State. I am still a resident there, but living in Iowa with my parents temporarily to get my life back on track. My sister refuses to help.

While I still have very little money, (I'm lucky if I get $500 a month and have absolutely nothing of value save maybe this laptop I'm on) I am in much better shape mentally than I was, and would like to know what my options are. I checked the credit report in September this year, but nothing had still shown up on it. And I can't look again until next year. At least at the free ones anyway.

Which is killing me, because I want to move with my spouse in Canada next year. I want to get this mess out of the way so any possible 'criminal checks' the Immigration bureau might do for breaking the lease/not paying are taken care of. Speaking of which, will things like this affect the immigration process? :c

Answers would be so much appreciated, I am so lost. ><

[DebtEnder]

Well breaking a lease is not "Criminal" to start with. I don't think BK over just 7k is a good way to go, it will cost 1500-200k just to file. In the end sounds like your near collection proof. If they do try to get a garnishment then it should be easy enough to exempt your earnings, you make far under the federal limit.

[debee]

I'm with debtender. Canada Immigration won't care about this. They don't deny entry on the basis of a financial dispute with a former landlord.

Once you're in Canada (possibly before, depending on what kind of entry visa you go in with), if you can become a permanent resident there, you'll apply for a Social Insurance number. Your SSN number from this country is not used for jobs, credit cards, etc in that country. There will be a complete disconnect between the two records. What you leave behind will stay behind. It's like leaving Las Vegas.

[Peeps]

On a side note, I think the apartment people might be required to mitigate their losses... meaning they have to make reasonable efforts to rent the place out once they know you're no longer living there.

If they do get it rented, then they can't legally hold you accountable for rent when someone else is now paying it (no double-dipping allowed). So it's possible you don't really owe them the $7k they estimated when you went to see them. There's no way they would let that place sit empty for 11 months and if they did a judge would laugh them out of court for not making reasonable efforts to rent it out. If they kept your deposit to cover the un-rented time, it's possible you don't owe them anything. Maybe nothing will show up on your credit report.

Good luck and enjoy Canada

[discouraged]

I rented an apartment after seeing a 'model' of one in the complex. Well, when I went to move in, the old tenant (who had been there for 10 years or so) had a moving out party and there were holes punched in the walls, the stove didn't work and it basically looked like a slum apartment as opposed to being in an area that was 'prized' for it's wholesomeness. I immediately contacted the on-site management and they basically did nothing. So I stayed for the month I'd paid for and then left without telling them.

Outside of one call at work, they never contacted me again. Of course, they were in the wrong, but nothing else ever came of it.

Don't know if that helps you, as they were in the wrong, but hope it does. It was never reflected on my credit report.

[belfydelrae]

thank you

Thanks for all the feedback guys. ;w;

I never even thought about the whole being 'collection proof' I always thought I'd wind up filing bankruptcy if they went after me. D:

They did indeed keep my deposit, I left the apartment in good shape, (cleaned out all the furniture, food and whatever I could lift) and left the keys to it in the landlord's drop box, which I think made it clear I wasn't living there anymore.

It's also in a college town, and there are always students looking for places to rent, so yeah things look real good now. Thanks guys, for all the feedback.

I've learned from this mistake, and I will not make the same thing twice in Canada. c: