3 Tips When You Break a Lease
You’re sick and tired of the sewer running through your apartment, your neighbors and their pets won’t stop running around above you, your car has been broken into twice within the last month, and all you want to do is just leave your apartment. Too bad you still have 6 months left on your lease. Before you threaten your landlord with leaving him with an empty apartment, make sure you know these 3 tips when you break you lease.
1. Find a new apartment BEFORE you move out of your current hell hole
You may be excited that you’re about to get out of your lease, but make sure that you have a place to stay while transitioning from your current apartment to your new apartment. There have been many horror stories of tenants who break their lease because the situation was so bad and end up temporarily homeless.
Before you break your lease, be sure to find a new apartment that you can afford. If you can’t find an apartment complex that you can afford, you might want to consider having roomies, getting an apartment loan, or sucking it up and staying at the apartment you’re in now.
You should also be sure to research the new apartment. You wouldn’t want to be stuck in the same unpleasant situation in the future. ApartmentRatings.com lists many apartments with resident ratings to give you an insiders look at the complex. Look in your area to find your other options in apartment complexes.
Don’t sign your new lease until you’ve seen the apartment you will be occupying. It’s important that you know what you are getting before you actually move out of your old place, which could, unfortunately, be better than the new apartment complex.
2. Don’t burn any bridges
Although your landlord may be the devil, keep in mind that they may own other properties. Many apartment complexes are managed by the same company, which means there is a chance that the only other apartment you can afford will be under the same management as the one you’re trying to leave.
To prevent the current situation from recurring in the future, don’t burn any bridges. Although it may be tough to break your lease smoothly, especially since the reason you are breaking your lease is because you want to get out of that hell hole, you should at least try to find an easy out. This can include finding a buy-out clause in the lease which allows you to pay your way out of the responsibilities of the lease, or finding a new tenant to rent your apartment.
Once you have found your perfect apartment, call them and ask who their management company is. If it is the same landlord, by past experiences, you may decide you don’t want to take any chances and turn down the apartment. If breaking your previous lease had nothing to do with your landlord, then maybe keeping with the same management company is a good thing.
3. Keep in touch with your neighbors
The neighbors who loaned you a cup of sugar aren’t only working their nine to five jobs, they’re also secret spies. They pay attention to when people move out, what type of furniture they have, and who’s moving in. If you break a lease that ends in you paying rent until a new tenant moves in, then the latter part of your neighbor’s secret life is what should interest you.
Your neighbors will be able to contact you and inform you of the new tenant, which relieves you of your financial responsibilities to your landlord, since they are not allowed to collect double rent. If you’re friendly with a neighbor, be sure to give them your new number, address, and other contact information. Ask them to contact you as soon as they see your apartment occupied so you won’t be giving your hard earned money away.
Be sure to remember these tips when you are ready to break your lease. They could save you from having to live out of your car, having your apartment rental history ruined, and from paying out of the nose.
