Residents found a house they want to buy and want to break lease

[Tyler Speelman]

Hello, Resident wants to break lease because they want to buy a house. I told them no. Their lease expires April of 2020. They then asked to leave in January, but also pay the balance on the remaining months on lease. Would you consider letting them do this if they pre-pay prior to turning over keys? Or is that a terrible idea? Thanks in advance for any guidance.

[Matt M.]

@Tyler Speelman

When I was 23, I asked my landlord to break the lease because I wanted to buy my first house. He was a super guy, I left the apartment spotless, and he let me go and even gave me my security back. This was an amazing thing as he said he was proud of me. I try to pass that along to my tenants. Of course I keep their security to break the lease, but I just let them go. Homeownership to me is a right of passage, and if they have the ability to buy, more power to them and congratulate them.