Protecting yourself when terminating your lease early

If you pay all outstanding charges before moving, including any back rent and fees, breaking a lease won’t hurt your credit score. However, breaking a lease can damage your credit if it results in unpaid debt. Collection accounts stay on your credit report for seven years and can significantly hurt your credit score.

Tenants often fail credit checks because their salary is deemed too low for them to comfortably afford the rent. Agencies will expect their gross pay to be at least twice the rent, sometimes as high as three times the rent, and they will automatically fail anyone earning less.

1. Read your rental agreement.
2. Talk to your landlord.
3. Find a new renter.
4. Consider termination offers.
5. Be prepared to pay.
6. Check with local tenants’ unions.
7. Get everything in writing.
8. Seek legal advice.

No Cooling Off Period Unless such a condition is explicitly stated in the lease or there is a rare jurisdictional law that requires a cooling period, your lease is binding the second you sign your name. The landlord has the right to decide whether to mutually agree to terminate the lease or to hold you to the terms.

Before you pack up and leave, talk to your property manager first about your legal and financial obligations. Go over the rental agreement with a leasing agent and your ex, and be on the lookout for fees associated with breaking a lease, rules on subtenants or subletting, and when to give notice on vacating.

The only way to get your ex-girlfriend off the lease is to divorce her. She cannot be evicted. Because you have no court of jurisdiction to have her taken off of the lease, you could likely get stuck with it.

Always notify your landlord of any changes in your living arrangements. The landlord doesn’t legally have to remove your name from the lease regardless of the circumstances. Your landlord may agree to remove your name from the lease at his discretion if you ask him to do so.

You cannot force a roommate out of your apartment or remove their name from the lease simply because you want them to leave. You have to consult with your landlord or property manager and be sure that everything is done the right way.

Usually, the only way to get someone else’s name off a lease or loan is to buy out (pay off) the loan/lease and secure a new loan or lease. This can be expensive for you. You can also trade in your current vehicle on a new one. That terminates your current lease and starts a new one in your name only.

If your current roommate is being a douchebag about this, you can just contact the current landlord say you’re leaving and breaking the lease, and then one of two things will happen, your current roommate will be responsible for the entire lease, or more probably your landlord will consider that you both cancel the …

You’ll need a restraining or protective order or police report to legally break your lease….

1. Get documentation of the domestic violence. To legally break your lease, you’ll have to provide your landlord with one of the following documents:
2. Inform your landlord that you’re leaving.
3. Move out within two weeks.

How to get out of a lease with a roommate

1. Give as much notice to your landlord as you can.
2. Show prospective tenants around while you’re still there — and sell the place hard.
3. Try to find replacement tenants yourself.

The unauthorized departure of a roommate gives the landlord the option of ending the tenancy altogether—even if the remaining cotenants can still pay the rent. That’s because even one roommate’s leaving early violates the lease: All cotenants named in the lease agreed to stay in the rental for a certain amount of time.

Yes, you may sue your roommate. Likely this will be in the County small claims court. Whether the Judge awards you all that you claim or part or nothing is up to the Judge.