Tenant breaking a lease in NJ

[Margharita Silva]

Hi Everybody,

I own a condo in North Jersey in a high rise and had a good tenant there for a year. Her lease was due for renewal in October and I asked her if she wanted to renew for another year. She said yes and we renewed. The lease started December 1st and on December 18th, she sent me a written 60 days notice to leave without any reason nor discussing it with me prior. I told her i would let her off the lease as per her 60 days notice, but as i am currently out of the country, there is a pandemic, it is the middle of the winter and holidays, it may take me some time to find a replacement tenant and that it would may be longer than 60 days and that she would be responsible for the rent until i find a replacement tenant. I put an ad on a few sites asap but it has been quiet and i still could not find a qualified tenant. Also trying to find a broker. She emailed me yesterday saying she spoke to her attorney and her attorney advised she is within her legal rights to pay February with her deposit and since she is moving out February 18th, she is asking a prorated amount from her deposit back (which she is using as Feb's rent) Venmo'd to her. From what i know she is responsible for the rent until i find a replacement tenant regardless of her 60 days notice and it just sounds ridiculous for her to expect me to pay her a prorated portion of her deposit because she choose to move on the 18th of the month.  Any advice about what to do? by the way i asked her several times why she wants to move but she said she would like to keep it private but i know that she wasn't recruited for the army, had a disability, DV or any other "legal" reason to break the lease.