Room Mate Situation, tldr version as well

Saint Nick

Lifer
Jan 21, 2005
17,722
6
81
So, we have a room mate who pays rent but is literally never at home. He only comes to the house to "hang out with his friends" (aka buy drugs). I told him specifically on two occasions to not do drug deals in our home. He understood, but then one night, two weeks ago, he said "some friends are coming over to watch football". I'm not a dummy, of course he was going to buy drugs.

The same room mate has abused and tortured our kitty. Boo is only about a year old. He has literally scared shit out of him by poking him with broom handles, folding him up into boxes, and he said at one point he cut off Boo's air way. He has smeared feces on the cat on occasion as well. When Boo sees him, he immediately begins hissing and tries to fight him, understandably. We have approached him about this situation as well (on three occasions), yet continues to bother the cat.

This room mate and I used to be close, but he has become very strange and distant. I do not feel comfortable around him, and nor do I feel comfortable leaving my lady around him alone. I feel as if he could go postal at any moment.

Drugs have really messed up my friend. He smokes weed, does hallucinogens, and I think even some uppers like Adderall and the like. He is also on antidepressants, so he has some underlying mental issues as well. I do partake in mild ganja use, but it has never affected me like it affected my friend. I truly believe he is insane. I don't think these mental problems were addressed before he started becoming a user, and the drugs exacerbated his problem.

So, my plan is to change the locks on the house and tell him to return his keys. I wanted to change the locks before I told him. I'm a little afraid of the consequences of this. He hangs out with some REALLY shady people (drug dealers). These people have been in my house and seen what I own (lots of nice stuff). And I don't want people breaking into my house and stealing/raping/murdering. We do have a security system that we use religiously. I'm just wondering if I'm being too overly cautious with him.

Does anyone have some advice? He used to be such a close friend and now he is a whacko. He has done some shady shit with girls outside of our house, too, a few years ago. Like, borderline illegal stuff.

TIA

TL;DR
1) have room mate
2) room mate buys drugs in our house, abuses our cat
3) addressed these issues to him directly, but they still happen
4) kicking him out and changing the locks
5) worried about possible repercussions from him or his shady friends
6) wondering if I am handling this OK or if anyone has any extra advice. TIA.

Update 11/6/2012
Hey everyone, brief update. Things went a lot better than usual. This is what went down.

After reading the thread, we decided we should probably try to kick him out without bringing up past issues. He defended his actions (cat abuse, drug deals, etc) tooth and nail. So, we decided to find a ploy to get him out. He came by the other day, and I said "Hey, we're going to move the weight rack in the garage into your room since the room is virtually unused anyway," He agreed and I figured it was implied he was done. He left, and I forgot to ask for the keys. When he came back the next day, I asked for the keys, and he left while I was in the john.

I finally got a hold of him just a bit ago via telephone to clear up some stuff. I told him that he wasn't really around and we wanted to use that room. And since he never stayed there, I figured it wasn't going to be a big deal. I asked if we were cool, and he was a little wishy-washy. He seemed to start pouting, and quickly ended the conversation.

We still don't have the keys, but after consulting with a few people, we are able to change the locks without issue.
 
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utahraptor

Golden Member
Apr 26, 2004
1,078
282
136
Torturing the cat is illegal. You could have the police come out, but since you partake in the drugs you would also be arrested so I would not go that route. If I were you I would move out and take the cat. That way you don't have to worry about him retaliating, the cat will be safe and you won't have to deal with his drug use.
 

Cerpin Taxt

Lifer
Feb 23, 2005
11,940
542
126
What state are you in? My state has laws that protect tenants which say you can't legally just change the locks on somebody. There's a whole eviction process you have to go through.

That doesn't mean your roommate will avail himself of his legal protections, but it could be exposing you to conflict.
 

Saint Nick

Lifer
Jan 21, 2005
17,722
6
81
We live in Nebraska. I forgot to add that he never signed a lease. However, he did agree to pay the rent and utilities while he lived there. I'm not sure if or how that affects the situation. I did kick one room mate out before who never signed a lease, and he just left as told. No issue.
 

SunnyD

Belgian Waffler
Jan 2, 2001
32,675
146
106
www.neftastic.com
Drugs are bad... mmkay?

Next time he "hangs out with his homies" sounds like the perfect time to tip off the cops that there will be a drug deal going down. Just sayin'.
 

ichy

Diamond Member
Oct 5, 2006
6,940
8
81
Eviction can be complicated and even if he doesn't have a signed lease just changing the locks on him is probably illegal. Try to get him to leave voluntarily, if not you need to evict him or get him arrested for his drug dealing.
 

ichy

Diamond Member
Oct 5, 2006
6,940
8
81
Torturing the cat is illegal. You could have the police come out, but since you partake in the drugs you would also be arrested so I would not go that route.

All the OP has to do is not have drugs at the time and the cops won't be a problem.
 

deadlyapp

Diamond Member
Apr 25, 2004
6,671
744
126
I would consult a lawyer to be honest. Depending on where you are a verbal agreement may be enough to bind you into a rental lease and if you deprive him of his lodging or whatever he has there (depending on your state) he could likely sue you and win. Simply changing the locks will only make the situation worse.

I hope you have documentation of all problems you've had with him.
 

Ns1

No Lifer
Jun 17, 2001
55,420
1,600
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I would consult a lawyer to be honest. Depending on where you are a verbal agreement may be enough to bind you into a rental lease and if you deprive him of his lodging or whatever he has there (depending on your state) he could likely sue you and win. Simply changing the locks will only make the situation worse.

I hope you have documentation of all problems you've had with him.

+1
 

Saint Nick

Lifer
Jan 21, 2005
17,722
6
81
Have you simply asked him to leave on his own yet?
That's going to be the first thing to try. I guess thinking about it now, this will work the best because he won't want any confrontation with law enforcement. He'll have to leave.
 
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ichy

Diamond Member
Oct 5, 2006
6,940
8
81
Honestly, the easiest thing to do might be to collect a hundred bucks from everyone in the house and bribe him into leaving. It's a shitty thing to have to do but cash for keys can be the simplest way to get rid of someone.
 

Number1

Diamond Member
Feb 24, 2006
7,881
549
126
You need to give him some time so he can find another place to live. A month would not be unreasonable.
 

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
30,741
456
126
That's going to be the first thing to try. I guess thinking about it now, this will work the best because he won't want any confrontation with law enforcement. He'll have to leave.

He's going to leave with all your stuff

Have fun!
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,010
66
91
That's going to be the first thing to try. I guess thinking about it now, this will work the best because he won't want any confrontation with law enforcement. He'll have to leave.

Yeah..You'll also want a plan B. Do you own the property you live in? If you do it makes things a bit easier. If I were you, I'd first simply ask him to leave because you just aren't really getting along with him anymore. If he says no, say that okay, but you'll be forced to evict him, which he has 30 days to vacate. During these 30 days, it's very likely you can not legally change the locks on him. If I were you, I'd keep the door knobs free from your prints, and possibly keep a hidden video cam or two in the house, in case he goes nuts on you and breaks all your shit when you aren't there. If he does do that, you can have some video/audio evidence of this, and possible traces of his and only his finger prints on your door. Maybe write down or take pics of your valuable's serial numbers in case you need to claim things for insurance reasons.
 

Krazy4Real

Lifer
Oct 3, 2003
12,221
55
91
when is your lease up? Sounds like it is time to move out on your own. You seem to be horrible at picking roommates.
 

thegimp03

Diamond Member
Jul 5, 2004
7,420
2
81
I'd be afraid of asking him to leave then his drug dealer friends coming by for some retaliation - i.e. stealing your stuff or wrecking the house. Any option just to move out suddenly and not tell him where you're moving?
 

Saint Nick

Lifer
Jan 21, 2005
17,722
6
81
The option of moving out is definitely on the table. Just trying to figure out which path has the least resistance ;) If we move out, our rent will go up for sure, which isn't a plus but it might be a small price to pay to avoid a potential situation with this guy.