TIL the hard way: don't let a friend co-sign your lease

Back in March my buddy Dave co-signed an apartment lease with me in Phoenix. Six months later he stopped paying his half without a word, and the landlord came after me for the full $1,400. I had to cover it or wreck my credit, and Dave just said 'not my problem' when I called him out. It took me 3 months and a lawyer letter to get his name off the paperwork. Has anyone else gotten burned by a co-signer who thought they could just walk away?

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luna8911d ago

My ex-roommate did the exact same thing to me in Austin back in 2019, left me holding a $1,100 bill for two months straight. I ended up having to drain my savings to keep the lights on, and she just moved to Colorado and blocked my number. The worst part was the landlord still put a late payment on my credit report even though I eventually paid everything... took me a year to get it fixed. Honestly, I think people who co-sign and then bail should be banned from ever renting again, that's just cruel.