Tenant who signed a year lease wants to terminate after 2 months

[Gehmelle Johnson]

Hello my fellow landlords, 

I have a dilemma, I am a District of Columbia landlord who recently secured a new tenant (June 2021), who wants to terminate her lease because she believes the unit has a few issues. Initially when she moved in the ac wasn't working properly but, has was repaired, then she she noticed there were small bugs in bathroom. D.C. is very tenant friendly but, I do not want to place myself in an bad position. Technically, we have an agreement but, I do not want anyone on my property who does not feel comfortable, and who could be potentially a liability. In short, I do want to relinquish-cancel out the lease but, believe I should be compensated for the inconvenience.

Please advise.

[Bill B.]

I would simply hold her responsible for the time it takes for you to find a new tenant. Tell her she’ll save money if she lets others look while she’s still renting as it might take a month or 2 if it can’t be cleaned and then shown until she moves out. You may find that rents have climbed 5-10% in the last two months.