‘I feel like once the lease was up, you should no longer be liable?’: Woman co-signs for her brother’s apartment. Now she’s on the hook for $42,000

Co-signing a lease for a friend or family member can be risky, but one woman claims she’s now facing a lawsuit for $42,000 because of it—with no idea how the charges add up.

TikTok user Melanie (@melii2712) shared a viral video with over 1.4 million views, explaining how a favor for her younger brother spiraled into a legal nightmare.

'So, I’m being sued for $42,000.'

Melanie starts her video by explaining that in September 2021, her younger brother asked her to co-sign for an apartment lease. She agreed, and the lease ran from Oct. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2022.

She explains her brother paid rent every month and continued living there until March 2023—long after the lease expired, at which point he and his roommate were on a month-to-month agreement.

Everything seemed fine until November 2024, when Melanie received a letter from a lawyer demanding $42,000 in back rent.

The charges didn’t add up

At first, Melanie was confused.

“What apartment is this?” she recalls thinking. “I had no idea what the heck they were talking about because I’ve never lived at that location a day in my life.”

After emailing the attorney’s office requesting documentation, she never got a response.

She assumed they had dropped the issue until recently when a process server showed up at her door.

A lawsuit over one month’s rent?

The lawsuit claimed Melanie owed $42,000, but when she finally received a breakdown, something wasn’t right.

Her brother and his roommate paid rent every month, including March 2023, when they moved out. The only issue? They didn’t give 30 days' notice—which, according to the lease, meant they owed another month’s rent.

But that rent should have been around $2,600, not $41,000.

No one could explain the charges

Melanie called the attorney’s office, asking for an itemized breakdown of how they got to $42,000.

They allegedly responded with, “Oh, we only have what we emailed you.”

They told her to call the management company, which then directed her back to the attorney.

“So, what do I do?” she says, exasperated.

She was finally given a different attorney’s contact information, but the response was the same.

“The only option he can give you is to do a payment arrangement for the amount owed,” Melanie recalls the attorney’s office telling her.

Melanie was, of course, not satisfied with the answer. “Excuse the [expletive] out of me? A payment arrangement for $41,000 that you can’t even prove I owe?” she exclaimed. 

Now, she’s lawyering up

Melanie refused to agree to any payments, saying she would get her own attorney involved.

Her lawyer found the case extremely unusual and suspected something wasn’t right.

“This is an absolute scam,” she says. “And honestly, I’m at the point where I’m gonna [expletive] countersue them for making me go through all this mess.”

She ends the video wondering how many other former tenants or co-signers have been pressured into paying similar mysterious charges.

“People who don’t know any better are making these payment arrangements, paying these exorbitant amounts for something they don’t really owe,” she says.

For now, she says she’ll keep everyone updated as her legal battle unfolds.

Melanie shares updates

Since posting her video on Jan. 24, Melanie has shared a few updates.

First, her lawyer believes she has a strong case since she has proof that all rent payments were made on time while her brother lived there. On top of that, the lawyer reviewed the charges and found that the management company appears to be billing for the entire duration of their stay, not just the disputed month.

Most recently, the lawyer submitted a response to the summons, and now they’re waiting for a court date.

The issue of predatory rental lawsuits

Some property management companies and debt collectors have been accused of suing tenants for inflated charges, hoping they'll pay up just to avoid legal trouble.

Penny’s case raises red flags. She says she wasn’t properly notified before being sued, and when she asked for proof, no one could explain how they got to $42,000.

This isn’t unheard of. Some tenants have faced lawsuits over suspicious charges, while others pay thousands just to make the problem disappear. 

A recent lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice accused major landlords of using algorithmic pricing to artificially raise rents, making it harder for renters to fight back.

For renters hit with sudden massive debts from a past lease, experts say the first step in fighting unexpected rental charges is getting an itemized breakdown: Landlords are legally required to provide one.

If that doesn’t clear things up, checking local tenant laws and, if needed, getting legal help can keep them from taking advantage.

Commenters are appalled 

In the comments section, viewers found the situation predatory and advised Mealnie to countersue immediately. 

“Better counter sue and include attorney fees,” said one viewer. “Because that's wild.”

“Judge Judy would so dismiss this,” joked another.

“I would ask for the deed to the house if I’m paying that much,” noted a third.

The Daily Dot has reached out to Melanie via TikTok direct message for more information.

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The post ‘I feel like once the lease was up, you should no longer be liable?’: Woman co-signs for her brother’s apartment. Now she’s on the hook for $42,000 appeared first on The Daily Dot.

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