I believe that verbal contracts do not extend to real estate...However, you can hold him responsible for whatever amount of time he spent there plus utilities. I'm not absolutely sure but after a certain amount of days, a person living in a residence becomes a resident, by law, and one would have to go through the same steps as one would to evict a contractually bound legal tenant. As such, he would be responsible for paying you something......Sucks that you did not have your buddy sign you off the lease because you would have been off the hook.