Glossary → Leases & Real Estate
Leases & Real Estate

Joint and Several Liability

Each co-signer can be held responsible for the entire obligation.

Under joint-and-several liability, every person on the lease or loan is on the hook for the full amount — not just their share. If your roommate stops paying, the landlord can pursue you for all of the rent, not half.

In practice

“All tenants shall be jointly and severally liable for all obligations under this Lease.”

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The roommate risk in one phrase

This is why a co-signed lease is riskier than it looks: one person’s default becomes everyone’s problem, and the landlord chooses who to chase — usually whoever can pay. If you sign with others, you are guaranteeing their share too.

See this in your own document: run a free analysis — findings quote the exact language.

What it looks like in a real document

“Each Tenant is fully responsible for the entire rent regardless of any agreement among Tenants.”

Private agreements to split rent do not bind the landlord — this clause lets them collect the whole amount from any one of you. Know who you are effectively guaranteeing.