Do I have to pay my dad?

[Bgoodwin]

Jurisdiction

Arkansas

Ok so my dad and my step mom bought a house and asked my friends and I if we would like to live there. We accepted. They said we would have to pay $600 a month which would cover rent and all the bills except the electric and that we would have to pay it on our own. We agreed to that. My parents said they would make up some kind of paperwork for us to sign but they didn't do it and so we didn't sign anything. They also said if it got paid off the house would be in my name or if I wanted to move I would just have to give them about a 30 day notice. There is a lease but my dads name is on it and not mine and there is proof I lived there because of the bills I paid. I told him last week that we were thinking of moving somewhere else and that I would let him know if we decided officially or not and he agreed. 5 days later which is today I told him that we want to move out and that we could be out by the end of the month and that we would still pay the rent we have coming up and that would be our last payment. I asked my dad if e was ok with it and he said sure. At this point my parents are getting divorced so he's a little upset at the moment and he told me I would have to next months rent and I would also have to pay $2500. When they were together and bought the house they put $2500 as a down payment. They never said anything about having to pay that at all. There was no agreement to that or any paperwork that says I have to. Also I don't think I have to pay next months rent but i was planning on paying the upcoming rent and be done with it. So am I right about not having to pay anything or do I have to pay my dad all of that?

 

[army judge]

You are living in a home without a signed lease.
You are what the law calls, month to month tenants.

Without knowing it, you have already met the notice requirement of Arkansas law.

You only owe rent in full for May, nothing more.

But, you need to do it in writing.

You simply send him a letter via priority mail (so you have prof of delivery) to his mailing address. You should also send one to mm, via the same method.

You indicate tat you'll be moving out on 31 May.

Make sure you'll be out by 5:00 PM on 31 May, or sooner.
Make sure and him or her the keys, or send them to him or her such that they receive the keys on 31 May.

Arkansas Attorney General

Take pictures of every room, the exterior of the house and the property on the day you vacate. Keep those for later,if arguments begin.




Here's the law:



Arkansas Rental Laws


http://arkansasrealtors.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/2014-Landlord-Tenant-Handbook-FINAL.pdf

 

[mightymoose]

You don't have to pay your dad anything unless you takes you to court over it and a judge orders you to pay.
You are the best judge of how your relationship is with your father, whether or not he would sue you, and the consequences to your relationship if you don't pay what is due.
It sounds as if his attempt to get you to pay the deposit is inappropriate, but at a minimum you should pay for the time you occupy the house.
You might do yourself a favor and help find a new tenant to take your place. That could relieve you of any responsibility for rent after you leave due to short notice.

Id expect you can work all this out with your dad without getting too complicated.