I don’t know if this needs a tag. I’ve never posted before but just in case tw: child abuse. I’m happy to add/edit if I’m missing anything.
Location: Baltimore, MD
I reluctantly moved into an apartment with my partner, mother and sibling this week and I’m already regretting it. For context, she was living with her ex and facing homelessness. She would not have been able to support herself financially and find another place to live without my intervention (according to what she has reported about her finances, but I suspect she is not being 100% truthful about that). We have a difficult relationship, to put it lightly. I have been dealing with night terrors for months since I made the decision to be under the same roof as her again. I was abused throughout my childhood and those wounds are very much not healed but I keep in contact for the sake of my sibling. We don’t have any other family to rely on to help us. Despite warning me of the consequences to my mental health, my partner obliged and decided to come with me into this hellhole of my own making.
My partner and I have not officially moved in yet, but I have been here helping them unpack their stuff and cooking for them while they get settled in. I figured I would try to help smooth the transition and keep the peace as long as possible but that did not last long at all. A few days in, she’s threatening to kick out my sibling and cut off financial support. She is attempting to control everything that goes on in the house. My PTSD cannot handle this. I want to find a way to buy myself out of the lease and leave before I relapse. I don’t even know if that’s legally permissible. But I know if I leave, my partner would not stay either. Then my sibling is left alone to deal with my mother’s wrath. I am not willing to abandon ship nor put myself through a year of this shit.
Everyone is signed onto the lease because everyone is 18+, got renters insurance, etc. Is there a legal way for me to get out of this lease or legally force my mother out of the lease? I do not want to leave my sibling alone with her because the situation will only get worse. Even if I left, I couldn’t take them back with me. We would need to find yet another place to live. I do not care about saving my relationship with her if she’s not able to gatekeep my sibling. I know that my partner and I make more money individually than my mother, but I do have an income cap due to my disability. If we had to afford the place on our own, it would be very tight, but not impossible. But if we stayed here and she left, I wouldn’t put it past her to retaliate in any way she saw fit. Changing the locks would not be enough. I also do not want to traumatize anyone further than they already are, including myself. I’m terrified of her finding this somehow but I have no idea where to turn. What are my options?