Lease dictionary
Joint and several liability
Each roommate is on the hook for ALL the rent - not just their share.
Joint and several liability means every tenant on the lease is individually responsible for the entire rent and all damages. If a roommate skips out, the landlord can collect the full amount from whoever's left - your 'half' arrangement is between roommates, not with the landlord.
It's in nearly every multi-tenant lease and is standard, not sinister. The protection you can control is a roommate agreement that documents each person's share and what happens if someone leaves.
Watch out
Never assume moving out ends your liability while your name is on the lease. Get removed in writing.
See it in action
The Roommate agreement builder puts this term to work for you.