Tenant wanting out of lease

[John Kilhafner]

I have a tenant wanting out of their lease and they have 4 months left. Stick to the lease and keep the deposit or let them out of it ? They bought a house and didn’t remember they were on a year lease.

[Alan Le]

Hey John. I had a similar situation with my tenants last year. We had a close relationship and I had explained to them obligations of the lease which they were very understanding of. I would imagine most tenants would be of this mindset, they know the terms of the lease and that you cannot simply break it without repercussions. Nonetheless, I wanted to work something out with them and find middle-ground. I asked that they be flexible with showings and that if I find a tenant in time for their closing date, (which i was confident I could), that we could terminate the lease early without any penalty. Found my next tenants and moved them in week after existing tenants left.

All that to say, I wanted to extend some courtesy to the tenants while also not feeling pushed over. If you have a conversation and explain your side I think most would be understanding and that's how I approached it. Was able to terminate the lease early, find replacement tenants, no penalties, and everyone was happy.