My partner and I need to move out of our current situation as soon as possible and quickly without our current roommate noticing as he’s mentally unstable and could snap at any time if he finds out we are moving.
Our living conditions are horrible. We are questioned whenever we leave the house and asked where we are going, when we will be back, who we will be with, etc etc. He has gotten extremely controlling and whenever confronted about it, we are told “if you don’t like it, you can move out.”
For the first few months we lived here (moved in on October) we would clean up after him because he’s physically disabled but it got to a point where he was so ungrateful and rude to us, we stopped cleaning up after him completely. We would only clean up after ourselves and expected him to be responsible for his own messes. Now the kitchen and living room are trashed. We don’t use them at all anymore. We stay in our bedroom and only come out to use the bathroom or to leave the house. We have resorted to ordering doordash (which is getting very expensive) and eating microwave meals to avoid having to use the kitchen. He keeps the litter box in the kitchen and very rarely scoops it so the stench is getting unbearable. (I feel awful for the cat but I have been very clear on my boundaries. I will not deal with vomit, urine or feces.)
We have no rights as tenants because he’s listed me as his “caretaker” (He does not pay me for this. He considers me a roommate. But I’m starting to question if he is getting funds from the state to pay for my “service.”) and my partner is not on the lease. So if he decides to “fire” me at any time, we have no rights. We am only paying $500 per month ($125 per week) as he has a housing voucher and only is charged $600 for rent, then he pays the electricity and wifi. (He originally told us he paid $800 for rent, but slipped up and accidentally told us it’s only $600.)
My partner and I are both working at a fast food chain, both making $16 per hour and getting 35-40 hours per week, with a combined weekly income of about $900 after taxes. We don’t have a car or licenses so we are only looking at places that are walkable or have good public transportation. I have a high credit score of 730 so maybe a small loan is a possibility? But I’m scared to ruin my credit if I can’t pay it back.
In the area we are stuck in (due to work transportation) studios and 1 bedrooms are all $1,500+ and 2 bedrooms are $2,000+ and we have had trouble finding a roommate. We have a small dog so it has to be pet friendly. We can’t drive so it has to either have a washer/dryer or be extremely close to a laundromat so we can walk to it. So it’s slim picking for us.
We have been saving every paycheck and now have almost $2,000 in a savings account.
My main questions are: How can we go about moving out of here safely without becoming homeless? And what can we reasonably afford financially?
Any advice in general about our situation is welcomed and appreciated.
I’m scared I will become homeless
byu/Efficient-Spinach691 inpersonalfinance
Posted by Efficient-Spinach691
9 Comments
Put a budget together. It may be possible to at least temporarily afford a $1500 place to get out of a bad living condition.
Your safety comes first and foremost. You can work on everything else once you get to safety.
3600 a month should be able to secure a $1500 place. Then if you increase your pay later your rent stays the same. As long as you continue to work I see no problem in getting your own place. Assuming you sleep in the same room.
Going to be tough to find a place with only 2k in the bank, since usually they need first months rent and a security deposit to start. You can find $0 down places but they usually have an increase in rent or something to make up for it. But if you make $900/week together then you should be able to afford $1500/mo for rent.
This is a situation where temporary homelessness sounds like it could be a dramatic improvement.
Have you spoken with any friends or relatives who might be able to put you up for a month or two while you build up a larger reserve to put down on a new apartment?
Worst case, get an old van, and install beds in that. Make a bedframe out of wood, so that the mattress doesn’t rest directly on the floor(bad things happen if there’s no air circulation). This also allows you to store stuff under the bed.
People have also converted box trailers, and I know of people who live in boats.
A camping stove using Denatured Alcohol(usually a red liquid) is a cheap way to cook.
Where and how is he listing you as a caretaker?
You may want to discuss that with social services or whatever.
Yes, I know, you can’t drive. But if you have a friend who can drive, he can bring it to some place you can park it legally.
Don’t you have any family you can stay with? Even if it’s in another city, your jobs are at a fast food chain so there is nothing really keeping you there.
Not only that would be better than trying to get a place to rent. It would put space between you and this person, who might be able to find you if you keep your job at this fast food place.
Are there agencies that you can go to? Some may be able to help with security deposit, etc.
Even a cheap apartment with few conveniences should be better than your current situation. Get out now and give yourselves an opportunity to be picky later.