I need to break my 6 month lease asap (apartments, rental)

[gbemmy]

I frequently see snakes in my compound, my landlady have a sister that plays loud music and frequently stamp her feets on the floor which makes the babies sleepless...the air condition and heater always comes with a strong and strange choking smell of burnt food which makes the babies to choke frequently...the WiFi and network is so poor that my work place hardly reach me on phone and I've been getting a lot of query from work...my job is at stake too...And whenever I complain to my landlady she tells me I am will still be owing rent even if I leave because I am on a six month lease...I live in a basement in greenbelt...it's so chocking...the heater is bad, AC is bad..no ventilation...I'm suffering like seriously..

[Brian_M]

With a lease, you agreed to pay rent for 6 months. The only way to NOT pay that 6 months worth of rent is to come to an agreement with the landlord.

Well, I guess you could simply not pay, take the bad reference, the hit on your credit (if the LL reports there, I sure as heck did) and the bad karma.

Talk to the LL, tell them you ARE moving out and want to simply mitigate what you owe them. Normally they will wave the rent for the months due if they have another renter, but you'll get further with honey than vinegar.

[gbemmy]

I tried so many times to negotiate with her...but all she's after is the lease and the rent...she doesn't care...even the two couch I brought are still in the compound...just because the door is too small to take them in...A regular couch... she saw them outside...then she sent me a txt to take the couch out of the compound cos the couch is disturbing her grass...I'm so speechless....same landlady that was nice to us when we came to pay for the lease...now she's so desperate and selfish...I'm so speechless...

[papichulo2]

just deal with it until the lease is up

[bufflove]

Your lease should outline the consequences of breaking said lease. If there is no lease and/or you're living in an illegal rental then obviously you can simply walk away. Contact the county for guidance, as needed.

[MidValleyDad]

Is it in a house or an apartment building? Does it meet all code requirements? ( exit window from bedroom, etc). If a house (which it appears to be based on the address in your post is the area zoned to allow apartments? If there are things that would make the unit illegal contact the authorities.

[gbemmy]

It's in a basement...no window....and the choking smell that came with the heater or AC...(not even sure what it was) yesternight was so strong....burnt smell.....babies were sneezing all night long...I had a terrible night too...I'm so so tired of the lease...I need help like seriously... she doesn't even give us receipt...even when we make cash payment...there is something dubious about her...even the lease payment...she only gave us a tiny piece of paper...where she wrote with pen that she collected $700 lease...I'm tired...

[LLCNYC]

You signed a lease for a basement apt.with no window??????

She gave you a receipt even if it's a small piece of paper.

[bufflove]

You're living in an illegal rental. If you want to leave then simply find a new place to live. After you have new housing in place, pack up and tell the current landlord that the rental is illegal and unsafe and that you're terminating the lease. You have the right to terminate a lease agreement if the landlord isn't following Maryland health and safety codes, which clearly they aren't. Living in a basement without proper egress (a window large enough to get out of during an emergency) is extremely unsafe and very much illegal. Take pictures of the bedroom and keep track of any interaction you have with the landlord, especially any transfer of money.

There are various organizations that can assist if you run into further issues. I'd suggest contacting this one, as needed, for guidance: Contact Us

[skeddy]

just pay for the months you owe and go. Easy peazy.