I have to cancel a lease on an apartment....?

Question

I moved into an apartment with a friend 3 months ago. The lease is solely in my name. It is a one year lease from 5/27/07 to 5/26/08. Unfortunately my roommate got fired and I can't find another one to take her place. I can't afford the place by myself, so I need to move. Is there anyway for me to get out of my lease with out going to court or paying the other 8-9 months of rent in advance?? I read through all of my lease papers and did not see anything about what happens if I need to cancel my lease, it also said I cannot sublet so me renting it to someone else isnt not a good solution. Ugh. I live in Los Angeles County if that makes any difference. Thanks for all the help!!

There is really no need to give me an attitude because my roommate was irresponsible. She was laid off of work because her company is down sizing, my question was about breaking a lease, not about choosing a roommate.

Thanks

Answer 1

Talk to your landlord. They'll probably let you out of the lease without paying the full year, but it's likely to cost you a month or two rent.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Moving is expensive, so I suggest you find a short-term roommate right away, and then find a long-term roommate.

Craigslist.org, westsiderentals.com and roommmates.com all have roommate-finding services.

This time, be sure to put the new roommate on the lease!

Also, there are legal reasons you can end your lease:
The Many Legal Reasons to End a Lease

You can legally end the lease for several reasons, one of which may apply in your case. Review the ones that apply to you:
1. Uninhabitable conditions, which only need to affect habitability, not necessarily unlivable, and which may include:
a. Infestations of cockroaches, rats, or other vermin
b. Noxious odors, such as from sewage leaks, mold and mildew, dead rats in the walls, pigeons nesting in the attic
c. Noisy neighbors in your building, or
d. Criminal activity in the building or neighborhood, such as drugs and gangs
2. An illegal unit, such as an illegally converted garage, basement, or attached structure you're living in [a common situation]
3. Government closing down the building, due to:
a. severe illegalities, such as construction without proper building permits, a dangerous structure, and zoning violations
b. fire or other structural damage [red or yellow tagging]
c. earthquake, flooding, or other natural disaster damage [red or yellow tagging], or
d. demolition by the government, such as for Redevelopment goals, eminent domain, tax lien sale, drug-related confiscation
4. Death, severe hospitalization, incarceration, or insanity of the tenant [your legal representative would handle this]
5. Bankruptcy of the tenant [Chapter 7, or abandoning the lease in a Chapter 11 or 13 Bankruptcy proceeding ]
6. The person who rented it to you may not have had the right to do so, because:
a. The person was not the owner, or authorized by the owner, to lease it [a scam used by some con-men]
b. The person was an unlicensed property manager, whose contracts are void [there are many of these]
c. The person was a tenant, who was not authorized to sub-lease or assign the place to you by their rental agreement, or
d. The business entity that is supposed to be your landlord doesn't legally exist [such as a corporation, that isn't one]
7. The lease may be tied to a job on the premises, which you quit, such as a resident manager, grounds keeper, etc.
8. The landlord lost the land by foreclosure, and the bank or new owner took over, but you haven't paid rent to them, yet.
9. The lease is oral, but is for more than a year by its terms, making it void under the Statute of Frauds as a legal matter.

Answer 3

The real issue is that your roommate must have known she was about to be fired and wanted to stick to you like glue to get into an apartment. This is obvious because she did not put her name on the lease! You are responsible as you are the only one on the lease. The landlord should have asked the others to sign the lease as well. Why didn't they? Anyway, you will have to go to court unless you can work something out with the landlord. You must plan for unfortunate things such as what happened with your roommate. Can't the roommate get another job??

Answer 4

Go to your library and find a book on CA rental laws, or talk to a lawyer. In most leases, you can't break the lease without penalty unless your job forces you to move. You'll at least owe for advertising costs, and for any time the apartment is vacant before a new tenant moves in. Talk to your landlord and tell him/her that you're willing to have it shown while you're still living there, so you can both avoid paying rent for 2 places and won't have to pay so long for the vacancy.

Answer 5

Word of advise. Don't sign a lease unless you can afford the place yourself.

OK your dilemma: First I would contact the landlord and explain your situation. He might let you out. Especially if you find him another tenant.

Look on the site: Roommates.com. There are thousands of people looking to rent. Another site is Craigslist.com

Good Luck

Answer 6

no, u cannot forfeit ur lease bc u chose an irresponsible roommate. speak to y our landlord, most places make ur forfeit ur security deposit for an early termination as well as paying a fee. good luck, try to find someone else before u think about moving.

Answer 7

Who informed you this? If the owner informed you you the place waiting to cancel the hire in case you bought a house than you're reliable to bypass and that i think of a 30 day be conscious is nice. although if the owner did not permit you realize that and its not on your hire contract than definite it ought to harm your credit and you ought to be sued. terrific guess is to invite earlier you bypass and ruin the hire.