If you live alone, or if everyone in your household will be moving out, you will likely want to end your lease. Your written lease or local law will regulate how to properly end your lease. Most leases require that you give your landlord a minimum of 30 days’ prior notice that you will be terminating your lease. This notice will likely need to be in writing. Depending on your arrangement, you may need to give your landlord more or less notice.
If the term of the lease has not run out or ended, it is possible that you will be responsible for finding a new tenant or paying the remainder owed on the leased term.
Make sure you discuss your situation with your landlord as early as possible.
Be aware that if the tenant/renter does not give proper notice to the landlord regarding termination of the lease, and/or if an individual refuses to pay rent when it is next due, the landlord may take the following steps:
- Demand payment from any tenant signer, co-signers or guarantors on the lease;
- Start the eviction process by filing a request for payment and eviction with the local applicable court, which will include serving the renters with notice of a hearing, and the related court processes;
- Eviction of the tenant/renter; and
- Obtaining a judgement against the tenant/renter (and any guarantor not providing payments due) for rent and obligations past due, which can have a negative impact on the renter’s, co-signer’s, and guarantor’s credit history and reporting.
If it is possible that you may not personally be available to make arrangements to terminate or revise your lease with your landlord, appoint a trusted legal representative to make these arrangements on your behalf.