Can Start Over Fresh make my roommate pay?

No. The opinion is advisory and not enforceable. What it can do is settle the question of who owes what, in writing, from someone who is not either of you. Some people pay after a decision like this simply because the argument is over.

What if my name is the only one on the lease?

Then your landlord can hold you responsible for the whole rent regardless of your arrangement with your roommate, and this process does not change that. It addresses only what your roommate owes you.

Do I need the lease and receipts?

They help a great deal. A lease, payment app history, bank statements, and messages where your roommate agrees to the split all give the panel something concrete. A clear story with no documents is still heard, it is just harder to weigh.

Will this become public?

A published decision uses first names only and never shows email addresses or the documents you upload. If you settle in mediation, the terms are published only when both of you say yes.

Common disputes

Roommates and shared bills

My roommate won't pay their share of rent or utilities

You split the rent and the power bill in good faith, and now the money you counted on is not there. Maybe it happened once and became a pattern, or maybe it is one hard month that left you short with your landlord. Either way, you are the one covering it, and the conversation at home has stopped being productive.

This is one of the most common money disagreements between people who live together. The amount is usually too small for a lawyer and too awkward for court against someone you share a kitchen with. What you probably want is simple: either the share gets paid, or you get a clear written answer so the subject can stop coming up every month.

Your options

Four honest routes, including doing nothing.

Doing nothing

Sometimes it settles on its own. Often it does not, and the balance keeps growing while the resentment does. Waiting creates no record you can use later, and a small amount left alone for a year turns into a large one.

A demand letter

A short written request with a date and an amount is the cheapest real step. It works best when it names what is owed, by when, and what happens next. Send it in a way you can prove, and keep a copy.

Small claims court

This is the formal route, and it can produce a judgment a court can enforce. It also means a filing fee, a hearing date, time off work, and standing in front of a judge, which is a lot for a few hundred dollars. Many states set a fairly low limit on these claims, so check the rules where you live.

Start Over Fresh

A Standard Case takes about ten minutes to file and produces a written advisory opinion in days rather than weeks. It is not a court and the opinion is not enforceable, so it fits when what you both need is an answer from a neutral party more than a fight.

How Start Over Fresh works for this

The timing below is for a Standard Case.

1
Tell your side
You explain what happened in plain words, add whatever documents you have, and name the other person. A Standard Case takes about ten minutes to file, and there is no filing fee.
2
They respond
The other person gets an email link and has 2 business days to answer. No account is required. We send a reminder before the deadline, and if they never answer, a default is entered, though the panel still reads everything you filed.
3
Try mediation, then get a decision
A neutral AI mediator suggests up to three ways to settle, and each of you has 24 hours to accept one, ask for a single change, or skip. If nothing is accepted, three AI judges decide. A Standard Case is usually decided in about 3 to 5 calendar days from filing.

Hypothetical example, not a real case

A hypothetical example

Two roommates split $1,800 in rent and $240 in utilities each month. One stopped paying for three months, then moved out. A panel might find the departing roommate owes their share for the months they lived there, and might decline the utilities for the month after they left. That is an illustration, not a prediction. Every case turns on its own evidence.

Questions people ask

Can Start Over Fresh make my roommate pay?: No. The opinion is advisory and not enforceable. What it can do is settle the question of who owes what, in writing, from someone who is not either of you. Some people pay after a decision like this simply because the argument is over.
What if my name is the only one on the lease?: Then your landlord can hold you responsible for the whole rent regardless of your arrangement with your roommate, and this process does not change that. It addresses only what your roommate owes you.
Do I need the lease and receipts?: They help a great deal. A lease, payment app history, bank statements, and messages where your roommate agrees to the split all give the panel something concrete. A clear story with no documents is still heard, it is just harder to weigh.
Will this become public?: A published decision uses first names only and never shows email addresses or the documents you upload. If you settle in mediation, the terms are published only when both of you say yes.

Start with your side of the story

About ten minutes to file, no filing fee, and the other person does not need an account.

Start a Standard Case

Related disputes

Other everyday disagreements and the same honest options.

Friend borrowed money Security deposit back Contractor did a bad job

Start Over Fresh issues nonbinding advisory opinions. It is not a court and does not give legal advice.