Can you break your lease if you have a doctor's note? My son's psych doc wrote a note and he has schizophrenia

Question

I signed a year's lease and have fulfilled 4 months thus far of the lease. When we moved in, my son was doing pretty well, but due to a lot of noise and people loitering outside of our apartment his problems have continued to deteriorate. We have had the police out twice and the security guard out numerous times and I have that all documented. My son's doctor wrote a long note explaining to my apartment that if my son continues to live there his situation will deteriorate. Does anyone know if we can get out of our lease based on this situation? Please only answer if you have some experience in this situation and don't just give your opinion. We are in a desperate situation and need some answers now. Thanks much.

Answer 1

I personally would give you a break, after you showed documentation. I have heard it all before, you would be amazed at the wild stories landlords hear.

Legally speaking, your doctors note means nothing at all. It does not negate your lease. I doubt a lawyer could help you, because it would not stand up in court. You knew of your sons condition before choosing the apartment, nothing about the apartment caused (not that it is even possible) your sons mental illness.

You may ask your landlord to think about this, this is what I am doing for a tenant of mine who wants out of his lease...The landlord puts the house up for rent in FREE places (no expenses) and the tenant agrees to show the place for me. Tenant also agrees to continue paying rent until a new renter is found, at which time he vacates within a 14-30 day window. I know this tenant has not damaged my house, so I won't have to renovate anything and it gets him out (too big of a house for him) without either one of us suffering financially. I don't know if this would work for you, but it works for my situation as a landlord.

Answer 2

1. Talk to the landlord, see if they will allow you to get out. I'm sure that there is a provision for paying a penalty in your lease if you want to leave early. What does the lease say? Go talk to them and see if they are going to be nice and work with you or whether they want to follow the letter of the lease.
2. You may want to consult an attorney if you can't find or can't understand what the lease says.

Summary - The words in your signed lease will give you the "worst case", talk to the landlord and see if they will give you a break.

Unfortunately, I don't think the fact that your son is bothered by the neighbors gives you any special legal right to change what's in the lease.

Answer 3

to be honest ur son is not the lease holder YOU ARE> so unless there is a medical reason behind you then i doubt ur landlord will let u walk away from this lease unscathed. there is always some sort of penalty and fee involved with an early lease termination. in our complex its 3 months rent = termination fee. so place vary. I suggest speaking to your landlord. Writing a letter is the first step in figuring things out. No offense but unless they really want to get rid of you they might hold u to the full terms of the lease. You could always try to find someone else to take over the remainder of your lease to show good faith to the building but teven then they dont have to accept that. try speaking with them and see what happens.

Answer 4

My sympathies for your son's condition. It is not an easy one with which to deal. However, relative to your lease, your son's situation is not a valid reason to nullify your lease agreement. The decision will rest with the landlord and his willingness to work with you in this regard.

Unless your lease contract actually contains language allowing you to invalidate due to such a medical situation, you are legally bound to honor the contract until its expiry date.