Is it him or is it me?

[Dustin Hughes]

Brief background: I still own rental property and relocated from TX to AL in 2017. I decided to rent a house for a year to decide where I’d prefer to live long term instead of rushing. Straight to the point: I am buying my next home end of Feb and my current lease is not over until end of Apr. I have notified the owner the the house could be ready for a new tenant early as Mid-March. His response: “I prefer to hold you to the end of the agreed upon lease and have no intention to find another tenant early.” My question to the Bigger Pockets members: as a landlord myself, I cannot see any advantages. What am I missing here? Any idea why the owner would show no interest in another placement? (He is not likely to move in—this is one of at least two rentals I know he owns) Just seems like he had the advantage of early warning. I guess I can say my conscience is clear for trying—but that’s why I’m posting this—I want to make sure I am not missing some perspective and it’s kind of driving me crazy. Thanks for any useful feedback.