getting out of lease problem

[Steve Sdre]

This is the problem. I rented an apt, signed a one year lease. Due to death in family had to leave after 5 months. Offered the landlord to pay an extra 2 month rent to let me out of lease, they refused. They said only subletting apt is allowed.

I left , and I am now paying for an empty apt each month until landlord find someone to rent it for the remaining 6 moths of lease.

I have reduced the apt rent 20% and still landlord says no one has come in to rent it.

How do I know landlord is actually showing the apt? It is an advantage for landlord to rent another apt rather than mine since I am paying rent for an empty apt anyway, and they can make more money by renting another one. I know they have many empty apts there.

Do I have any other options? They will not accept 2 months rent as a buyout to get me out of lease, and I do not think they are trying to rent my apt. At such a low rent I am offering, I find it hard to believe the apt is not rented yet.

thank you for any advice.

[Mike C]

You sound like the perfect victim, like a lot of tenants. If you can’t take responsibility for yourself and your actions, don’t sign a lease. But at the end of the day, no one forced you to move (sorry for your loss though) away. If you had to, you could have taken care of family matters and then stayed put and then tried to find a replacement tenant if they wouldn’t release you from the lease (as they have every right not too according to the lease terms). Had you gone to the landlord without the attitude that he owed you; you might have gotten some sympathy and worked something out. But as soon as you try to act like it is anything other than them doing you a favor and that they need to do what you want because you are smart and they can’t do that to you, you are in trouble and are now paying that price.

Vilifying the landlord because you don’t want to follow the lease terms might make you feel better today, but walking away is a mistake you will eventually pay for. Do yourself and family a big favor and think about what you are doing. Because in the end, it will be you who loses most when the landlord evicts and gets a judgment against you and you make it that much harder for yourself to find a place to live in the future. Because you tell this story to your new landlord and no nice place is going to take you. Or many less than nice ones as well.

You received some excellent advice about making sure they tried to lease it. Remember, this is an investors (i.e. many land lords) forum. They are taking it easy on you believe me and are not telling you what they so desperately want to.

Best of luck

Mike C