How to Get Out of a Lease

While tenants generally intend to reside in their apartments for the duration of their lease agreement, breaking leases isn't all that uncommon. Unforeseen circumstances such as a new job, relationship change, or bad roommate situation may require a tenant to end their lease term early. If you're in this situation, it's important to learn the right way to break an apartment lease. Want to know how to get out of a lease? The key is understanding your rental agreement, knowing your rights as a tenant, and effectively communicating with your landlord or property manager.

While there are some extenuating circumstances when a tenant can break a lease without penalty (more on that later in this article), terminating your lease early due to common reasons such as a new job, a roommate conflict, an engagement, or a breakup can be costly.

Here are some specific consequences you should prepare for if you break your lease early:

If you must break your lease, there are some steps you can take to help minimize the consequences.

Step One: Understand the terms of your rental agreement.
Your rental agreement should spell out what happens if you break your lease early. Look for key phrases like "sublet," "subletting," "sublease," and "early termination" for details. For example, you may be permitted to sublet your apartment to cover the remainder of the lease. However, some rental agreements prohibit renters from subletting. You may also be required to submit a written notice in the form of a notice to vacate letter if you wish to leave before your lease ends. Note that this can also be a requirement when you terminate your lease at the end of its term. And, even when not formally required according to your lease agreement, a written notice to vacate letter is highly recommended. If you need help writing one, check out our article on how to write a notice to vacate letter (template included).

Step Two: Communicate with your landlord or property manager respectfully.
Transparency is critical when you must change plans and vacate early. Your landlord deserves to know your intentions to leave the rental unit as soon as possible. In advance of giving your official notice in writing, have a face-to-face conversation with them or, if that's not possible, email or call them to give them a heads up. Being open and honest about the situation prevents them from being caught off-guard when you provide your written notice to vacate. Who knows? If you give them enough notice and time to find a new tenant, they might be more likely to be sympathetic and let you vacate without penalty.

Step Three: Help your landlord or property manager find a new tenant.
Your lease agreement might require you to pay lease penalties above and beyond the remaining months' rent. You may be able to curb those costs by finding a new renter to either re-rent or sublet your apartment. Some state laws require tenants to continue paying rent until the landlord can fill that rental unit with a new tenant. Look over the rental agreement, determine which fees you must pay, and set up a payment arrangement with your landlord as soon as possible to avoid litigation or other costs from accruing.

While many renters enjoy living with roommates, others find the experience unpleasant. If you're having roommate issues, you might want to learn how to get out of a lease. Here are a few things to consider.

Should you stay or should you go?
Deciding who is going to move out means having a conversation with your roommate. Even if you're not at fault, that might not mean you get to stay in the rental unit. However, if your name is the only one on the rental agreement, you might have a right to ask your roommate to leave. Whatever you decide, don't move out without paying any remaining rent that you owe. Be sure to give your roommate adequate notice, communicate with your landlord both verbally and in writing, and pay your share of the apartment's bills.

What if you both want to move out?
If you and your roommate agree that it's time to move on and want to do so at the same time, your rental agreement spells out the next steps. If you're renting on a month-to-month basis, that might give you the green light you need to vacate the unit. If not, you and your roommate must figure out how to work together and follow the advice spelled out in this article on how to get out of a lease.

Even if you need to vacate the rental immediately, don't forget to do a walk-through with your landlord or property manager the day you move out. Take pictures or videos and document the rental unit's condition once you’ve removed your belongings. If the landlord can prove that you damaged the rental property or left it unclean, that could result in negative consequences.

While there are many consequences for breaking a lease early, especially without notice, there are a handful of circumstances when tenants can get out of a lease without any penalties:

1. Illegal Rental

If the unit is being rented illegally, tenants have the right to break their lease without penalty. State laws indicate how tenants can broach this topic, including learning how to recoup a portion of the rental payments they remitted throughout their lease. Signs your apartment might be illegal include:

2. Lack of Property or Rental Unit Maintenance / Inhabitable Conditions

It's the landlord's responsibility to ensure their tenant's rental units are habitable and have:

Specific conditions — like black mold or inadequate waste removal — are detrimental to a tenant's health and can be cause for them to vacate the property without penalty.

3. Tenant Harassment / Illegal Entry

Tenants can break a lease without penalty if the landlord or property manager harasses them in any way or if the landlord or property manager enters the apartment illegally. One example of harassment is when a landlord uses aggressive behavior to intimidate a tenant. Landlords must give tenants 24 hours' notice or more before entering an apartment and have a legal reason for doing so. Examples include rental unit inspections, repairs inside the apartment, and showings to a new tenant.

4. Active-Duty Military

If deployed for military service, military professionals often have no choice but to get out of a lease early, and that's when the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (Benefit and Protection No. 5 – Residential apartment lease termination – 50 U.S.C. § 3955) comes into play. Active-duty military professionals must provide their landlord with a copy of their military orders showing that the active-duty assignment or deployment is for a minimum of 90 days.

5. Domestic Violence

If you need to escape a domestic violence situation, early termination might be your only option. In some states, victims of domestic violence must give their landlord at least 30 days' notice and furnish them with a copy of the order of protection. According to the Housing Rights of Domestic Violence Survivors, landlords must permit early lease termination without requiring victims of domestic violence to pay rent for the remainder of the lease agreement.

In addition to submitting a written notice to vacate, we recommend documenting all correspondence from the moment you start communicating about your intentions to break the lease. Ask your landlord or property manager to confirm all discussions, especially those about money, in writing. That way, if legal action is taken and you end up in court, you have written proof of your actions and communications on the topic.

Hopefully, if you cooperate to the best of your ability, remaining respectful and helpful throughout the process, you can avoid the cost of legal advice and representation. Remember, anything you can do to help appeal to prospective tenants or find a replacement tenant can go a long way to maintaining your relationship. The goal is to remain on good enough terms whenever possible so that your current situation won’t negatively impact your reputation and future lease agreements.

The question of how to get out of a lease is a good one because the answer depends on the circumstances, state laws, and the terms of your lease. However, if you let your rental agreement be your guide, understand your rights as a tenant, and communicate proactively and respectfully with your landlord or property manager, you may just be able to break your lease without breaking the bank.