Breaking a lease

[Jules228]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Massachusetts

Does the lease have to disclose what happens if you break the lease?

I am renting from a Real Estate company and they did not disclose and now they are saying we have to do all of these things to get out of our lease, none of which is in the lease.

Needs advice!!!

 

[Mrs. D]

Well, that depends on what "all these things" are.

State LL/Tenant law specifies certain rules for term leases, defining obligations of the tenant, which can then be used to obligate tenants to do "all these things" to get out of their lease. This is true even if the lease doesn't spell out the LL/Tenant laws word-for-word.

But if they want you to stand on your head and say the alphabet backwards...that's not in the LL/Tenant laws of MA.

 

[HuAi]

The quick and dirty answer is that state law obligates you to fulfill the conditions of your lease until such a time that a landlord is able to find a replacement for you.

Sooo, if they are asking you to keep paying rent until they find a new tenant, that's what the state law dictates.

If they are asking you to do anything else (i.e. pay 2 months termination fee / give up your SD) then it is an offer that you can accept (or reject) in lieu of having to keep paying rent until they find a tenant.

 

[Jules228]

They want me to pay rent until they find someone else then they want me to pay half a months rent to them...

The problem is I lost my job and don't have the money to pay rent. When I signed the lease I had a job. It was an unforeseen event.

They want me to sign a breach of lease form.. I read I shouldn't sign it. Is that correct?

 

[HuAi]

They cannot collect double rent on this property, so once they re-rent it, thats it. They cannot collect the additional half month from you after that.

Read what the breach of lease form says before signing. Most likely it doesn't benefit you in any way to sign this and give the company more evidence if they have to go after you in court. If that's what it is, then I dont see a reason to sign it.