break apartment lease

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: afernandez_2009
Date: December 01, 2010 at 04:07 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/break-apartment-lease.32831/

ive been living in a apartment for 4 months and was just wondering what would happen if i was just to leave the apartment and stop paying?
i googled it and seen that maybe they can sue ne, credit would go horribly bad, etc.
wondering if any of yall have done something like this.
please help!!!!!

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Pandragon
Date: December 01, 2010 at 04:11 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/break-apartment-lease.32831/

It depends on the landlord. While all that stuff "can" happen, it usually does not. However the chances of it happening increase if your complex is run by a professional management company(not some guy who has a card but an actual professional company that runs the place like an actual business). If the landlord is just like a regular person who happens to own a building, then it is less likely they come after you.
What I would do if you choose to move is make sure that the place is spotless clean when you move out and the biggest thing to be aware of if they do come after you is that by law they must rent the place in a timely manner, so they cant come after you for 6 months worth of rent because they cant find a tenant.
One big indication on whether a place might come after you is if they even did a credit check before renting to you.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: the0n3
Date: December 01, 2010 at 04:15 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/break-apartment-lease.32831/

You will most likely still have to pay the rent until they get someone else in to rent the place. Even if you just up and leave they will give your details to the land lords tribunal and you will get charged the rent one way or another. Plus it will make it hard for you to get another place until the payments from previous land lords have been cleared.
Best thing to do is tell the land lord you are leaving straight away and that you forfeit your bond so they can start looking for another tenant immediately.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: afernandez_2009
Date: December 01, 2010 at 04:23 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/break-apartment-lease.32831/

i looked at the contract and on it says theres no way to break it unless i die or get recruited.
i just turned 20 today and ive never had to do anything like this, so im pretty lost on s--- like this.
so either way no matter what you have to pay for the rest of the lease, correct.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Pandragon
Date: December 01, 2010 at 04:29 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/break-apartment-lease.32831/

FDZmma2009 said:
i looked at the contract and on it says theres no way to break it unless i die or get recruited.
i just turned 20 today and ive never had to do anything like this, so im pretty lost on s**t like this.
so either way no matter what you have to pay for the rest of the lease, correct.
Click to expand...
noooo unless you let them take you for a ride.
Your best option is to pay this months rent, december, and just tell the landlord hey, I cant stay here for whatever your reasons are, and obviously you wont be expecting your security back(and last months if you are in a state like that)
The stuff you read about CAN happen, its just a matter of WILL it happen. It all depends on the landlord and the people who own the building on if they will go after you. A LOT of places will NOT go after you simply because it costs them money to go after you.
If you're in a position where you have to go, talk to your landlord. They will either be cool or not, if not..nothing to be done about it.
I lived in a place that was a dump, the landlord didnt give a s---, wouldnt fix anything, wouldnt deal with the loud neighbor above me etc. etc. I got fed up lived a month there without paying rent, and the nmoved out. Landlords like that dont go after people. The place I live right now is fairly nice and is managed by a property company. They have lawyers on retainer and would go after me if I just left without paying rent.
The biggest thing is, in most states, they are required to get the apt rented asap. they cant just leave it empty for the next 7 months charging you.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: afernandez_2009
Date: December 01, 2010 at 04:42 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/break-apartment-lease.32831/

KingofMidgets said:
FDZmma2009 said:
i looked at the contract and on it says theres no way to break it unless i die or get recruited.
i just turned 20 today and ive never had to do anything like this, so im pretty lost on s**t like this.
so either way no matter what you have to pay for the rest of the lease, correct.
Click to expand...
noooo unless you let them take you for a ride.
Your best option is to pay this months rent, december, and just tell the landlord hey, I cant stay here for whatever your reasons are, and obviously you wont be expecting your security back(and last months if you are in a state like that)
The stuff you read about CAN happen, its just a matter of WILL it happen. It all depends on the landlord and the people who own the building on if they will go after you. A LOT of places will NOT go after you simply because it costs them money to go after you.
If you're in a position where you have to go, talk to your landlord. They will either be cool or not, if not..nothing to be done about it.
I lived in a place that was a dump, the landlord didnt give a s**t, wouldnt fix anything, wouldnt deal with the loud neighbor above me etc. etc. I got fed up lived a month there without paying rent, and the nmoved out. Landlords like that dont go after people. The place I live right now is fairly nice and is managed by a property company. They have lawyers on retainer and would go after me if I just left without paying rent.
The biggest thing is, in most states, they are required to get the apt rented asap. they cant just leave it empty for the next 7 months charging you.
Click to expand...
well i live in college station, texas.
the aparments i live in are ok i guess( brazos point), i pay 540 for rent.
so you think that that apartment would chase me around, sue me, or make a huge deal about it for 7 months of $540?

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: cobra_punch
Date: December 01, 2010 at 04:53 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/break-apartment-lease.32831/

I would advise you not to break the lease without paying the "separation penalty". Breaking it may hamper your credit score. The biggest deal about your credit rating is that nowadays, many white-collar employers check your credit before they hire you.
Imagine when you are 25 and finished with college, and you land a dream job. Then they question you about something that happened when you are 20. This is much more of a pain in the arse than just paying the fee and calling it a square deal. Be careful if you pay them also, because some companies are shady as f0ck and they will try to ruin your credit even if you pay them.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: afernandez_2009
Date: December 01, 2010 at 05:03 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/break-apartment-lease.32831/

cobra_punch said:
I would advise you not to break the lease without paying the "separation penalty". Breaking it may hamper your credit score. The biggest deal about your credit rating is that nowadays, many white-collar employers check your credit before they hire you.
Imagine when you are 25 and finished with college, and you land a dream job. Then they question you about something that happened when you are 20. This is much more of a pain in the arse than just paying the fee and calling it a square deal. Be careful if you pay them also, because some companies are shady as f0ck and they will try to ruin your credit even if you pay them.
Click to expand...
oh crap, did not know about that.
guess i just have to man it up and pay.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: afernandez_2009
Date: December 01, 2010 at 05:07 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/break-apartment-lease.32831/

space_bound said:
My experience is that if you live in an apartment community they run it like a business. At all the apartments i have live at you have a few choices.
1) You can find someone to take over your lease, via craigslist or something
2) You can move out early with a penalty. For me it was the current months rent, next months rent plus half of your monthly rent. so 2 1/2 months rent.
Contracts can be tricky to read, so since its a community go down to the office and say im thinking about breaking my contract what are my options and they know what they are and they will tell you.
Click to expand...
yeah i put an add on craigslist about a month ago but had a feeling that i didnt do it right.
(can one of you guys help me out with putting a add on craigslist?)
well the front desk lady which she seems like a total a-hole, told me i can pay about 450 to have them look for someone but if they dont find nobody ill basically loose that money.
also i have a feeling they are not telling me the whole truth.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Reako
Date: December 01, 2010 at 05:13 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/break-apartment-lease.32831/

Not gonna sift through the paragraphs to see if anyone said this but the jest is.
1 - I did see this said, management company or person, that was pretty accurate.
2 - The laws differ from state to state so someones experience in Illinois might not be the same as someone in Nevada.
3 - Though laws differ a common law I have seen is the 6 month law where you can break your lease if with more then 30 days to go before the 6 month mark you give written notice you need to move. Since you are so close to that you may look to see if that is good in your state (or is in your lease) and go for that.
4 - If you are leaving for a specific reason due to the unit being bad, persistant bug problem not of your making, landlord not fixing issues that arise etc then you might have legal standing to exit your lease again, a state to state thing.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: afernandez_2009
Date: December 01, 2010 at 05:39 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/break-apartment-lease.32831/

Reako said:
Not gonna sift through the paragraphs to see if anyone said this but the jest is.
1 - I did see this said, management company or person, that was pretty accurate.
2 - The laws differ from state to state so someones experience in Illinois might not be the same as someone in Nevada.
3 - Though laws differ a common law I have seen is the 6 month law where you can break your lease if with more then 30 days to go before the 6 month mark you give written notice you need to move. Since you are so close to that you may look to see if that is good in your state (or is in your lease) and go for that.
4 - If you are leaving for a specific reason due to the unit being bad, persistant bug problem not of your making, landlord not fixing issues that arise etc then you might have legal standing to exit your lease again, a state to state thing.
Click to expand...
to number 3, imma have to look over this. see if i can do something like that.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Tgilb2007
Date: December 01, 2010 at 06:00 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/break-apartment-lease.32831/

Talk to the landlord/property manager. I had a roommate who needed to move out early, and our landlord gave us 2 options. Keep the apt, at a SLIGHTLY reduced rate, or find a new roommate. She was also cool about it though, and understood that if we could not handle either for more then a couple months, we could leave without any penalty.
Another landlord in the same city, in the lease it said that under NO circumstance, we could break the lease without HIS approval. And he outlined that the only reasons he allowed for us to break the lease, was if all of us got drafted into the military, or someone died. We stayed there just until that lease was done, and RAN.
BTW: Wish I could find even a respectable apartment in RI for only $540. Anything outside of the ghetto's is at least $700 for a 1br.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: Puxin
Date: December 01, 2010 at 10:19 PM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/break-apartment-lease.32831/

Why do you want out of the lease? If there is a legitimate reason that the apartment has become unsuitable for you to live in (e.g. mold problems) then you might be able to leave without any penalty. If the apartment is habitable (i.e. fit to live in), then you should talk to your landlord. If there is low vacancy in the area, it is possible that they will be able to find someone to move in as soon as you move out. In that case, you would be on the hook for a penalty for breaking the lease (typically the security deposit) or costs for finding a suitable tenant, but nothing else.
The main thing that will determine what happens is the wording of the lease.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: CopperHeart
Date: December 02, 2010 at 12:04 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/break-apartment-lease.32831/

I think in CA they can't come after you if you find another tenant to move in immediately, so the landlord has no loss of income.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: ArcArsenal
Date: December 02, 2010 at 12:37 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/break-apartment-lease.32831/

If you break your lease, no matter what happens you will lose your damage deposit, even under the best circumstances.
That being said, your best option is to not be a d--- about it, but just go ask your landlord/building manager about your options. If you politely say you want out, they will likely not have any problems showing your apartment as if it were vacant, and/or letting you sub-let it. As soon as someone else is in for it, you're free. you can't collect rent from two different people for the same property, it's fraud, so if you can find someone else to pay for it you should be fine.
My last apt I, i asked to be let out two weeks into the month, but we had a really good relationship, so they got a new tenant for me and I even kept 75% of my damage deposit.

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: osubuckeye4
Date: December 02, 2010 at 09:38 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/break-apartment-lease.32831/

What most people said is what I would recommend...
Look over your lease, then talk to your landlord (it would probably be beneficial to bring your lease with you when talking to him or her).
Try to be nice and pro-active about it.
I have no idea how leasing laws in Texas work (only state I've ever rented in is Ohio).

 

[Nastycrow]

Originally posted by: phoenix-mma
Date: December 02, 2010 at 10:02 AM
Source: https://forum.mmajunkie.com/threads/break-apartment-lease.32831/

Check your state laws, but in AZ an apartment complex has to respond to (and fix) any complaint filed with their office within 5 business days or the "lease agreement" can be voided.
example: you report that your microwave is not working correctly. The apartment MUST send a maintenance man to fix the problem within 5 days.
There are businesses here in AZ who will come in, take a look at your apt, and come up with a laundry list of things that need to be fixed. They basically will create a list so long that the complex couldn't possibly fix them all within the allotted time. It can be anything from an outlet cover not being on, loose carpet, a window/screen not properly opening/closing.
Just something for you to think about.