Roommate Wants to Break Lease Just Days After Moving in Because He Found a Better Apartment

tl;dr My new roommate found a apartment for rent that is more convenient for his commute just a few short days after moving in with me. However, I can not afford my apartment on my own and feel like he is throwing me under the bus.

I am a recent college grad who just moved to Boston after finding employment in the city. At the time, it became very clear I would be unable to afford a place near my office without having a roommate to split the rent. I eventually found a masters student from Germany via Facebook who was willing to share a apartment until he finished his program at the end of the year. We moved in with the expectation that I would find a new roommate after he left.

Up until the end of the year, everything worked out great. However, I found it substantially more difficult to find a new roommate during the winter. After my old roommate left, it took about two months for me to find another suitable candidate (let’s call him Bob).

When I first spoke to Bob, he seemed like a great fit. He was pursuing the same master’s program as my previous roommate, we shared the same hobbies and interests, etc. He said that although the neighborhood and commute was not his preference, my place was the only one he found so far that he could afford. I had even agreed to bring Bob’s share of the rent down to something more in line with what he could budget. I agreed to end my search for a new roommate and wait around 3 weeks until Bob could move in. During that time, I worked with the landlord to put together a new lease agreement which we both signed.

The timing of Bob’s arrival was a little inconvenient as I was just about to leave for a week long vacation just two days after. Nevertheless, when he came, I took him out for dinner and gave him a little tour of the city.

Everything seemed fine. That was, until he messaged me while I was on vacation asking to break the lease agreement. He apparently had still been searching for apartments closer to his academic program and had finally found a place that he could afford days after moving into my place. He said he wants to spend his limited time in Boston living where the “pulse” is.

Honestly, I was kind of flabbergasted by his request. I feel like he is throwing me under the bus. When we had spoke, I was quite explicit that I needed a roommate to stay out the full duration of the lease until the end of the summer. I have already dug into my savings to pay the full rent on my apartment for the nearly 2 months which I didn’t have a roommate and the additional 1 month when I was waiting for Bob to arrive. I cannot afford my apartment on my own. When I spoke with him upon returning to Boston, he had already submitted a application to the new place and seems pretty intent on leaving.

I am not entirely sure how I should handle this situation. Right now, I am making him find a new roommate to fill his portion of the lease as a condition for him leaving. But I doubt he is going to do much vetting. It took me two months to find someone who had seemed like they would be a good fit. I could force my hand and make him stay if he does not find a suitable replacement. But this whole experience has given me the impression that Bob is a pretty self-centered person. I don’t think it’ll work out well if he stays either. What should I do?

(P.S. if you are searching for a cheap apartment with good access to the financial district, feel free to dm)