Comments on: How to reduce the costs of early lease termination

By: Samantha

Samantha — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 20:20:04 +0000

With all these hassles of early lease termination, it is best to think about your decision first. Will it be worth the effort and the expenses?

By: Heriberto

Heriberto — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 18:20:06 +0000

Some landlords may have an admin fee, which will be the cost of rerenting the apartment. This is a fixed amount that you cannot negotiate.

By: Truman

Truman — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 16:00:07 +0000

Know your state laws. They can save you.

By: Sandy

Sandy — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:00:06 +0000

Some landlords may try to keep your security deposit and say that it’s the price that you have to pay for moving out before the lease is up. Know that this is not legal. The security deposit is only for repairs and in some leases, it can be used as last month’s rent. The landlord cannot keep it as a penalty of your breaking the lease early.

By: Omer

Omer — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 12:00:04 +0000

Although you may move out after you’ve submitted your intent to move, it is not recommended that you do so. You need to be there when the landlord does a walk-through. You need to make sure that your landlord understands your intent to move and doesn’t create any issues that could jeopardize your new lease agreement with another landlord.

By: Leroy

Leroy — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 09:40:04 +0000

Yes, do the cleaning especially if your lease does not state a nonrefundable cleaning deposit. You also need to document for proof of the cleaning and if possible, schedule a walk through with your landlord.

By: Porfirio

Porfirio — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 07:20:06 +0000

Good read. Thank you.

By: Jennie

Jennie — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 05:20:04 +0000

Before you do anything, always check your lease agreement. If you plan to do anything that is not clearly stated in the lease, check your state tenant laws or consult with a lawyer if you’d rather have someone else explain it to you in bits and pieces.

By: Damion

Damion — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 03:20:04 +0000

Double rent is also another common problem when you had to break the lease agreement early. This is because the landlord may still collect rent from you for the period that is already covered by the new tenant. If this happens, your landlord should send you refund for you rent. Otherwise, he is in violation of state laws and you can either file a complaint or sue him.

By: Asuncion

Asuncion — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 01:20:05 +0000

I think landlords should also know when it is valid and legal to break a lease agreement without the charges. I’ve read of an article wherein the property management still asked for the early lease termination from the tenant’s mother after the tenant has died. It’s not as if the tenant knew that he was going to be killed and as if he had a choice to still continue with the lease. Sounds heartless, yes, but it happened.