Landlord vs Tenant Dispute on lease termination

[Diego Corzo]

Hi,

I was a renting out a room in a house in Austin, Texas.

My lease was from Dec. 16th, 2012 to Dec. 16th, 2013. I gave him the keys on December 13th because I didn't want to renew the lease and I was heading to Florida. This happened unexpectedly because I had no idea I was going to move.

I left the house by Dec 16. but now the landlord wants me to pay rent until January 13th because that is when the 30 day notice ends (Dec. 13-Jan 13). I verbally told him I was leaving when the lease was going to terminate around Dec. 8th.

He said that the fixed-term lease automatically goes month-to-month unless I tell him, even though this is not in the contract.

This is what the contract says and it contradicts itself:

"The Rental Agreement will start Dec. 16th, 2012 and will be a one-year rental agreement. The Tenant must give written notice at least 4 months in advance to terminate and must pay rent for the described lease duration. The Landlord must give 28 day notice in advance to terminate or alter the lease agreement. The Tenant may move at any time during the last one month of the lease duration and shall notify the Landlord of the vacate date and pay a pro-rated rent for the time the Tenant occupies the unit"

What should I do? Should I pay rent until January? I paid for the month of December already and has a $500 deposit.

Thanks for help in advance!