Posted by River City on May 12, 2005 at 06:32:30:
This should be spelled out in your lease agreement. If it is not, you should/might be able to speak with your landlord and work out an agreement.
Breaking a lease - Posted by Stephanie Williamson
Posted by Stephanie Williamson on May 11, 2005 at 11:14:59:
Can you tell me any guidelines that exist for breaking a lease? I need information about regulations regarding charges for breaking a lease, and legal exceptions to lease breaking issues. Are there any protections for people who are buying a brand new house to get out of a lease easily?
Re: Breaking a lease - Posted by Natalie-VA
Posted by Natalie-VA on May 12, 2005 at 08:07:03:
Stephanie,
I am not an attorney. I’m not sure if you are the landlord or the tenant (it really doesn’t matter).
I just wanted to give an opinion from a landlord’s perspective. Buying a house is not an acceptable reason to break a lease. When someone signs a lease, it is a contract. It costs landlords time and money to re-lease properties.
I recently had a tenant who “found a bigger place” and wanted to break the lease. I informed them that I would let them out only if they found me an acceptable tenant (good credit). This put the ball in their court to do all of the legwork. They advertised, showed the property, took applications and forwarded them to me. It turned out to be a win-win situation. They got out of the lease, and I got a new tenant with minimal time invested. I tell this story to maybe offer you an idea on how to handle it.
The tenant who breaks the lease should lose their security deposit and pay the landlord for any expenses that are incurred (including lost rent while it’s vacant).
Regardless of what side you’re on, do the right thing.