does anyone know what would happen legally if I broke a lease 5 months before it was up?

Question

I live in miami, fl and am looking to relocate to south carolina.
My daughter is very young and that is where her father lives, his health isn't that great and I would like her to be closer to him. Does anyone have any advice?

Answer 1

Read you lease. Not skim it, read it word for word. Most likely there is no clause for moving out early.
What you have is a negotiation situation. Your landlord does not want to sue you for 5 months rent, then have to try to collect the money when you live in another state.
Tell him you will pay for two weeks of ads to try to find another tenant, clean out any junk in the apartment and keep it clean, and allow him to show it to prospective tenants.
Then after 30 days if he can not find a tenant you can try to agree on amount to pay, say 1 or 2 months rent.
Once you reach an agreement, get it in writing. Good luck.

Answer 2

Check with the landlord and see if you can sublet the apartment to someone else for the balance of or longer than your lease. If you can find another "suitable and qualified" renter so that the landlord won't be out any money and won't have to do any extra work then it shouldn't be a big deal. Landlords have to pay their bills too (like mortgage etc.) and depend on their rent as a source of income. If you can avoid any income loss to the landlord and make it as little work for them as possible (besides having to approve a new tenant) I can't see a problem. Especially if you are upfront and honest from the beginning the landlord will be more willing to work with you. They are people too and they know stuff comes up in life. Just try to make it so that it inconveniences the landlord as little as possible. Then you can still get a good reference for future rental situations.

Answer 3

You may have to pay the rent for the months you won't be living there. If you have a lease, read the fine print. I broke a lease once but it couldn't be helped. I spoke to the manager,as well as the owner of the apartment. The owner said to make sure I left the apartment as clean as when I first rented it. I didn't want to cause problems for myself, but that apartment left something to be desired when I first looked at it. Nevertheless, I did my usual top to bottom cleaning before I moved out & the manager & owner both gave me a letter, saying I was welcome to rent an apartment in the future. I hope breaking the lease is that easy for you. I hope you like living in S.C. as much as I do. No snow!!!!!

Answer 4

Bottom line, the landlord could sue you for the total rent due for the balance of the lease term. But have you tried talking to the landlord and explaining your situation? Might be a nice person who lets you out of the lease without penalty or for a minimum charge.

Answer 5

Check your lease - it might say what happens if you break the lease. It's liable to cost you a month or two rent, and at worst could cost the whole lease amount although that would be rare.

Talk to the landlord. They might make arrangements, and if they can rent the unit to someone else quickly, might not charge you much.

Good luck.

Answer 6

Be nice to your landlord, explain your situation, and negotiate an agreement. S/he will probably want you to pay all costs associated with getting another lessee in the property, so the net effect to the landlord of your move will be zero.

On the other hand, be a jerk to the landlord and you just might find out exactly how much they can MAKE you pay.

Answer 7

Yes. You are responsible for the rent until your lease is up, unless you have found a suitable tenant replacement. Then your lease would be cancelled and a new lease signed with the new tenant. You would be paying rent until then.