How can I get out of a lease?
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How do you get out of a lease?
We are moving soon and would like to get out of our lease without paying fees. We've been here 5 months and have 7 to go. We've had lots of problems from day one that I have had no problem complaining to the management about. Our downstairs neighbor plays his music from 12pm to 7am and we hear it throughout our entire apartment, the neighbor next to us has party's and continually gives them the wrong apt number so we get knocks at our door at all hours, the neighbor and her boyfriend have violent and loud domestic disputes which have led to blood stains in the hallway and screaming fits at 3am on more than one occasion, another neighbor leaves his trash by his door and the wind scatters it all over the top floor hallway, and our downstairs neighbors played a game on Easter that left the entire upstairs riddled with hard boiled eggs after they through at least a dozen up here for their children to catch. It took three days and 4 phone calls before they finally cleaned up the mess.
I don't want you to think we moved into this mess with the knowledge that these apartments would have these problems. These are brand new beautiful condos turned apartments (they couldn't sell do to the economy). They were not finished when we moved in and we signed the lease. They are in a good neighborhood, but boy did it go downhill fast after the apartments were all rented. It is a gated community but they had to bring in a security company because their has been several cars broken into and drug deals take place right at the gate.
Will all of these problems I have had here help us get out of the lease? If not what is the best way to go about this with management. Either way we have to move.
- 2191 reads
With those kinds of problems you can definitely break the lease. Nobody should have to live in those conditions. There should be a clause in your lease stating what kind of conditions you are entitled to live in, either under "Rules" or maybe "Quiet Enjoyment". Either way there has to be something that tells you that you are entitled to live peacefully and quietly, this is obviously not the case.
If you've been complaining each time, you've been building your case. I would also take pictures of any kind of litter or mess and hold onto them, take note of everytime you make a call to the landlord and keep notes of what kind of response you get and how long it takes them to rectify the problem. You could also send them a letter telling them of your intentions to move out because of these conditions and that they are in breach of the lease, and see what kind of response you get. I doubt if you will have a problem. Take your chances, if they decide to take you to court, which I doubt they will, you would probably win the case anyway.
In this kind of economy a landlord should be doing everything in his power to hold onto any decent tenant he may have.
Either way Good Luck and let us know how you fair. 
Thanks Ladies. That makes me feel better. I have been taking pictures, and making note of each time we call. I need to go over the lease again to see the exact stipulations, but I know that we have a "right to a quiet environment" section in or lease. Every time I complain I also ask them to note it in my file and let them know I will be noting it too.
When is the best time to ask them about breaking the lease? We don't want to move until late June-July 1.
I would give them a 30 day notice. Check with your lease to see if it says anything about a time frame.
When is the best time to ask them about breaking the lease? We don't want to move until late June-July 1.
I would say the middle to the end of May would be fair enough, that gives them time to rent it out by July 1.
Simple: Invite every GeekDrop member over for an 8-hour party; you supply the booze. Within 48 hours, you'll be out of your lease (and probably relying on the generosity of strangers).
Okay, sorry for my j/k response; I'm a landlord also. I didn't know I'd be the only male respondent in an all-female issue...
No I liked your post. Sorry it was rude of me to say "thanks ladies" I should have said "Thanks Ladies and Rondo". 
Don't worry about being PC; no offense taken. You did the right thing to get out of the lease. I would have suggested exactly what you did, if I'd have been here longer. I do hope you get all your deposit back, though: Landlords have a more discerning & biased eye when it comes to "clean"...
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Did you read over your lease to see if it has any clause as far as being able to break it (like if you had a job transfer)? I'm not sure if those would get you ouit of your lease unless you maybe went to the lease office time and time again complaining. If not then go to the office and complain and talk to them. See what your options are, be honest. Did you have to pay a security and last month rent? If so then tell them that you will make sure the apt is extra clean for re rental if you are assured that you will get your security deposit back. If they do say no then screw them and don't spend your time cleaning it. Tell them that you can not afford it and instead of dragging it out and being evicted you wanted to come in and work out a exit/moving plan with them. You can try not paying the last month rent if you have a last month rent deposit and tell them to apply it. Is there alot of vacant apartments in the development? If there is they can take you to court and try and make you pay the remainder part of the lease out, however if they rent it they can not.
Besides those I ideas I cant think of anything else. Laws are different from state to state. Some landlords are willing to work with you and some do not. Good luck