What is joint and several liability?

A lease with joint and several liability holds each tenant fully accountable for the complete rent payment, regardless of how many people live in the unit. If one roommate stops paying their share, the landlord can pursue any of the other tenants for the full amount owed. This clause appears frequently in student apartments across San Antonio.

Under this structure, you remain liable even if a roommate moves out mid-lease or simply fails to contribute their portion. The landlord does not need to pursue roommates in any particular order or prove they tried collecting from others first. If rent goes unpaid, your credit score and rental history can take the hit, and eviction proceedings can target any tenant on the lease.

Roommates sometimes handle this by pooling money or setting up a payment arrangement among themselves, but the lease obligation remains unchanged from the landlord's perspective. Understanding this clause matters before signing, especially in shared housing where you cannot control whether others meet their financial obligations. Some leases offer joint liability only (each tenant pays their share), while others include "several" liability (individual responsibility for the full amount). The specific wording in your lease determines which applies.