Joint and Several Liability Published April 1, 2013 By 436th Airlift Wing Legal Office DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- Often Airmen will rent a house or apartment together. If everyone in the house signs a lease together you should be aware of a concept known as "joint and several liability." Most rental agreements have a joint and several liability clause. A "joint and several liability" clause makes every signer of the rental agreement responsible for the entire amount due to the landlord. Each tenant is individually responsible for all of the rent and all of any damages that occur regardless of the means the tenants use to divide the rent among themselves and regardless of which tenant actually causes the damage. If one person does not pay the rent, the other roommates are liable to the landlord for payment of that person's share or they are all subject to eviction for non-payment of rent. This is important when it comes to deployments. If your roommate gets deployment orders, that Airman will be able to break the lease under the Service members Civil Relief Act. However, you are not covered under SCRA. You are still liable for the entire amount due to your landlord. Yes, that means you're liable for the amount your roommate was previously paying, as well as your share. Remember: The most important step in protecting your rights as a tenant is to read your lease and understand what your responsibilities are when you sign it. Please visit the Dover Air Force Base, Del., legal office to learn your rights. Security deposits: The security deposit can also be a problem in shared housing. Landlords are not usually willing to inspect whenever just one person leaves a shared house or apartment. Normally, the landlord will hold the total security deposit until all original lease signers have vacated. Therefore, tenants need to reach their own agreement about how they will handle the return of individual shares of the deposit and get it in writing.