What Would Happen If I Opted Out Of An Apartment Lease Before The Contract Ended?

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What Would Happen If I Opted Out Of An Apartment Lease Before The Contract Ended?

I recently graduated from college with the intention of staying an extra semester for grad school. Things change of course and I decided to move out. I made an agreement with my roommate that was sharing the apartment that I pay 2 months and he cover the rest of the lease for the semester I was absent. Should I have just told the apartment owners I was moving out and made him the complete renter so I didn’t have to pay the two months?
The contract states that if you move out before the contract ends, at owner’s will, you would have to pay the rest of the months on the lease. What I was worried about is if I told them they would make me pay the rest of the months. My roommate had a few options such as a subletter, commuting for his one class, or moving to his own apt, but would not comply and would tell the owners about a breach of contract if I subletted someone else. Do you think I overall made the safest and best decision?
Let me know what you think.
Thanks.

Tags: Apartment, Before, Contract, Ended, Happen, Lease, Opted, What, Would

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 3rd, 2009 at 9:56 am and is filed under Break A Lease, Q & A. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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4 Responses to “What Would Happen If I Opted Out Of An Apartment Lease Before The Contract Ended?”

sdmike says:

September 3, 2009 at 11:08 am

In real estate we call that “breaching teh contract” not “opting out.
You agreed to the lease term. You are responsible. Maybe it will make you feel better to call it “tuition” instead of rent…
jenzee says:

September 3, 2009 at 4:19 pm

Look at the lease agreement. It’s binding, so by signing it, you agreed to the terms. You can always throw yourself on the mercy on the landlord. One time I moved out 2 months before my lease was up and he just kept my last month’s deposit.
Blunt Honesty says:

September 3, 2009 at 6:55 pm

You would be legally and financially responsible for any consequences as outlined by your lease agreement.
Rrrr says:

September 3, 2009 at 11:35 pm

I have had tenants move out before the end of the lease before and every situation is different. Because you have a roommate that is still completing the remainder of the lease your landlord wouldn’t really have cared about you moving out.
You should have told your landlord you were moving out and had your name removed from the lease after the two months you paid the rent. If for some reason your roommate leaves early or gets evicted because your name is still on the lease you will also be responsible.