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There can be many reasons for breaking a lease. No matter what the reason, talk to the LL first. Tell him or her what is happening and why you need to break a lease. Being up front and honest is the best recourse. And it gives you an upper hand in being able to broker a lease break.
As a LL, I appreciate the heads up and can usually work with someone about a lease. Breaking the lease and the terms for breaking it will depend on the time frame and the reason.
If both sides agree no issue there, if the tenant breaks the lease one sided, be prepared to ruin your credit score, if you have one and receive a judgment....
I have broken two leases in my life. The first one was an apartment in IL when my job transfered me to NC. They weren't exactly accomodating, we paid a month and a half rent and that was that. Expensive, but it worked out, as it wasn't a negative reporting or anything like that.
Once we got to NC, our apartment was in a very bad neighborhood, and two weeks after moving in I marched into the office and told them we wanted out, no matter what. They let us out for free, stating that we were within 30 days of moving in so we had that right (I was floored, in a good way, when they told me that). Point is, breaking a lease is easy, just make sure you talk to the LL first, and be prepared to pay, more than likely.
Give as much notice as possible. Be prepared that you may be held responsible for rent until the unit is rerented or until the end of your lease, whichever comes sooner. Be prepared that you may, in addition, forfeit your deposit.
If you have been a good tenant, paid rent on time, not broken things constantly, not complained too much, or had complaints about you, give plenty of notice, and leave the place in very good condition at move out, you will find your landlord a lot more lenient.
If your rent was constantly late, or if you give notice you are moving the day the moving van shows up (we had someone do that this year, and then were surprised when we didn't just say "ok, have fun") don't be surprised if they hold your feet to the fire and charge everything legally allowed.
Typically you have to pay one additional month. Just talk to them. If you can get a job transfer letter, or another good reason you have to leave, and clean real good, and have been a good tennant, they usually will let you off.
Technically, you can't break a leas unless the landlord has caused the building uninhabitable for some reason. A lease is a contract and as such, can only be changed with an amended contract or a court order. Granted, good tenants get a lot of leeway when it comes to help, but when a bad tenant wants out, I say "Good Riddance!" Whatever you decide to do, get it in writing!
I am so miserable at my Legacy Crossroads apartment and desperately need to move out of this complex. I can't afford to pay the remainder of the lease which has over 8 months remaining and would be over 6000 dollars. Is there ANY way to legally break a lease without ruining your credit? I don't know how I can make it through the next 8 months here.
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How do you legally break an apartment lease?
