Hi, We are living in an apartment in high rise building in midtown Atlanta. The lease ends in November. Due to Covid, we are considering moving to a house rather than the community living since we have 2 very young kids. Can anyone advise if there are exemptions under Covid that will help us terminate the lease early without penalties. Another issue is I have lost my job. Any advise is appreciated.
Real Estate Agent · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2017 · 5 posts · 6 votes
6y
Hi, have you spoken to the landlord about your concerns? Try to come to some agreement that works for both parties.
GAR leases in Georgia are very landlord friendly. Your best bet IMO is to communicate your concerns rather than looking for a contractual default out of the lease. Best of Luck.
Real Estate Agent · Atlanta, GA · Member since 2017 · 5 posts · 6 votes
6y
Hi, have you spoken to the landlord about your concerns? Try to come to some agreement that works for both parties.
GAR leases in Georgia are very landlord friendly. Your best bet IMO is to communicate your concerns rather than looking for a contractual default out of the lease. Best of Luck.
I will be talking to the apartment leasing agent later today. Wanted to seek advise here to see what is allowed legally vs. can be negotiated. Appreciate your advise.
Investor · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2017 · 73 posts · 28 votes
6y
First step i would recommend to anyone in these type of situations is to simply talk to the landlord/leasing office.
Tell them your situation and that you want to be able to move out.
Secondly find someone reliable who would be willing to take the apartment after you leave (this is to assist with turn over for the leasing office), they will still do their tenant screening and all that, but at least you are trying to assist.
I would avoid to try to get one over on the landlord and find some reason to just leave without either speaking to them or believing you can just do it without any type of reprecussions.
I told my sister this same advice who lives in Manhattan, NY and she was paying ~$3k for an apartment. She waited 4 months with no income, simply becuase she was unsure about the COVID situation and hoping we would return to normal. She finally spoke to the landlord and they said, sure ok no problem.
Real Estate Agent · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2020 · 41 posts · 41 votes
6y
I don't know of any exemptions for terminating a lease early due to Covid. All I have heard of is on the other end, a moratorium on evictions - which recently ended on the national level but some individual states have extended the eviction moratorium.
A lease is a contract and unless there is a clause in your lease allowing you to terminate early due to a national, or global, pandemic, you are bound by your lease. Even the eviction moratorium doesn't relieve tenants from owing rents, it only postpones the eviction process on those that don't pay their rents.
Unless your state's tenant-landlord laws state differently, you are bound by your lease to its fruition. Have a conversation with your landlord. He or she may understand and allow you to break your lease, although doubtful as vacancies cost landlords money. You may have to pay a penalty, or pay rent for the months the property is vacant (during the remainder of your lease term) until the date the landlord gets a new tenant.
It's unfortunate you lost your job, as so many have, as a result of the pandemic. It is difficult for anyone to stay financially stable after losing a job - for any reason. Leases, or any other contracts such as a car loans, are still the responsibility of the contracted parties. November is only a few months away. Is it worth rocking the boat now?
Property Manager · Alpharetta, GA · Member since 2018 · 163 posts · 117 votes
6y
All of the above advice is excellent. Diplomacy and compromise are always the best first attempt, but also going in with very real expectations. Are you going to be let out of your lease without cost or penalty, probably not. The amount of possible considerations and/or lenience really depend on your willingness to see from the owner/landlord perspective too.