Roommate leaving without paying - Breaking lease early

[Project19888]

I currently have a lease at an apartment with a friend of mine. We are both on the lease and it ends in August. In the middle of January he disappeared and I did not see him for about 2 weeks. We pay rent at the first of the month. When February 1st came I had received no contact or rent money from him. I paid it in its entirety myself. When a few days had passed I attempted to call him (no answer), text him, and email him, politely requesting the money he owed me. About a week later he transferred me 275 dollars. Than a few days later he transferred me 200 dollars. Rent is generally about 1280 with water and garbage so that this leaves him owing me 165 dollars.
He finally returned to our apartment for an afternoon to pick some things up. It was apparent to me that he really had no interest in living with me anymore so I proposed to him that we end the lease early so that we would be moving out at the end of April. This means we would have March and April we would have to pay for, plus double the amount of rent as a penalty for signing off early. He thought this was a good idea and agreed.
Once again I found out from some mutual friends that he had been talking about how he may just completely cut off communication with me and not pay for March and Aprils rent or the closing fee. If this happens and is the case that would leave him owing me nearly 3000 dollars. Is this something I could take care of in small claims court? His name is on the lease along with mine, but there was never a written agreement that he would pay half and I would pay half. Still would it not be common sense that I obviously wouldn't have him staying there for free? Do I have a good chance of winning this? Should I just let it ride and continue to politely ask for the money he owes me than we he doesn't pay hit him with a lawsuit at the end of it all or should I take other steps to try to recover the money?
Thanks

 

[jacksgal]

Yes sue him

 

[Project19888]

Will it be enough to hold up easily?

 

[Gail_in_Georgia]

I'm not sure what you mean by hold up easily but it should be a fairly easy case to prove in court that he owes this amount.

However, you cannot owe him for something you have not paid yet. In other words, you cannot sue him for what he may owe in the future. For now you ask him for his share of what he owes to break this lease and if he doesn't fork it over (leaving you to pay for this) then you sue him, keeping documentation of what he owes.

Gail

 

[Project19888]

Yes, I understand that. What documentation would I have to provide?

 

[Gail_in_Georgia]

For court, the copy of the lease with both your names on it. And, from now on, make all your requests for money from him in writing. It would have been nice to get his agreement on the amount each one of you needs to come up with for breaking the lease in writing too. This is clear documentation via a paper trail (to a judge) that he was aware of his financial obligations, agreed to such but did not follow through.

Gail