<prompt> Human: So I received an email today that our household owes 2000 and to pay immediately or it will be forwarded to their lawyers. Each roommate pays their bills via online payments, so we have records of paying our bills with the exception of the bum roommate. Each month that has been late all of them has added a 100 late fee to the bill, so presumably the 2000 dollars is 1500 in overdue bills and 500 for each month late. We are hoping to pursue the option in the lease to buy out of our lease by paying 2 months rent, so about 3200 between all of us. So my questions are, were they required, in the state of Minnesota to inform us earlier about this building debt? Could I get the overdue 2000 off of my credit by going to small claims court with my records of paying the bills? Beside the bum roommate, 2 of the roommates total 5 are living paycheck to paycheck and dont have any money to buyout our lease, is there any way I can get out of this lease without paying the total 3200?  <response>: Generally, if you all signed the only lease, you are all responsible for fulfilling its obligations.Therefore, your entire household is treated as one entity. Your household must make sure the rent is paid in full or it can be evicted. You do not want this on your record, so:Your best recourse is to pay the bill and sue the roommate for it.You need to have a talk with the roommate and see what the heck hisher plan is.Depending on your state, you will get a 3-10 day Pay or Quit notice which this email may or may not count as. At that point, they can file an eviction against you. It will take some time to go to court, but the landlord would almost certainly win. I would recommend not letting it get to that point.It sounds like you might be in college. Many colleges have a free legal aid service where they can help you figure out what the process looks like in your area.Its possible you can kick this guy out, sue him for back rent after you pay the landlord to not get evicted and find someone else to take his spot. You still have to clear that with the landlord. 