answer:You ask “I don’t understand why he wouldn’t want a lease.” If I remember correctly, your state has some of the best rental protections for tenants compared to many others. Without a written lease, it’s a case of he-said-she-said and if things take a bad turn he could arbitrarily give you a 30 day notice for no cause at all. Ultimately, your trump card is withholding rent but I understand your reluctance to do so. Try to find a local group dedicated to tenants rights and ask for their advice. Perhaps they have a lawyer willing to write up a polite letter which may get the job done. But the bottom line is this: even if you don’t press him for a written lease and are meek and mild about everything, he can still evict you on a whim, leaving you with zero protection. At least with a lease, you have some protection and clarity. I certainly understand why your trust has gone out the window but that’s all the more reason to get it in writing. After all, he did verbally agree to it. And I don’t see this as effing over his family at all. It’s a simple case of business is business. Period. It need not be acrimonious unless HE chooses to make it so.