Okay, I know a lot of time has passed, but I finally got a copy of the "lease" from the landlord. The only problem is, it's not really even a lease at all. It's a single page without basically any pertinent information whatsoever. It's probably worth mentioning that this "lease" was signed by three parties: my current roommate (S), his former roommate (K), and the landlord (J) on September 1, 2013. Since then, roommate K has moved out over a year ago, and roommate S has remained, paying the full amount of the rent (which is not specified in this "lease," which is insane to me).
Anyway, I'll try to break it down, actually quoting the most relevant parts:
Title: ALL NEW RESIDENTS
Para. 1: "In order to ensure your deposit return the resulting work required to re-rent your apartment will be specified. If you wish to maximize your refund, the following must be done..." This paragraph basically goes on to explain that a 30 day notice is required to move out and that keys must be returned. Nothing at all about length of lease, so I assume it's a month-to-month (although my roommate, the one on the lease, has told me the landlord told him it was a year-long lease).
Paras. 1 through 11: An enumerated list that just says specific things need to be cleaned, vent filters need to be changed, etc., etc., presumably in reference to whether the full deposit will be returned.
Para. 12: This is written in by hand (the rest of the document is typed) and initialed by roommate K, who no longer lives here: "No animals 'but' if you have one or more a $50.00 charge per month for each dog or cat, or other" (sic)
Para. 13: Again, written by hand and initialed by roommate K: "There will be a $100.00 charge for each person who moves in after you move in and the contract is signed and you have stated the person who will live with you. (also a $25.00 credit check per adult who moves in after you have." (sic)
Signature lines, signed by roommates K & S and landlord J on September 1, 2013.
That's literally the entire "lease." Basically it has no other provisions. It doesn't even have the address on it, or how much the original rent was supposed to be. Wtf am I supposed to do? What are my rights here, and what can the landlord reasonably expect?
Can I just tell the landlord that I'm going to sublease from roommate S and pay him the amount we agreed upon? Can they evict one or both of us if we don't pay them the $100? By this language, it sounds like it's a $100 one-time charge, not an additional $100 a month; is that legal? I thought this "lease" would clarify some things, but it's honestly only made it more confusing.
Please advise as to what I should do, and what I should tell the landlord. The landlord wants to meet tomorrow and is expecting me to pay $125.00 out of pocket and complete a "Credit Application." Thanks in advance.