In the unfortunate event that you find it necessary to move out before your lease term is up you have a couple of options:
- Pay the lease break fee (Usually equal to one month’s rent). If you’ve fulfilled less than half of your lease term additional fees will probably apply, please contact your property manager for information on your specific situation. This will allow you to move out of the house, terminate the lease, and not be subject to additional costs or rent whether or not we are able to get the unit re-rented. It is best to have your entire account including the lease break fee paid in full prior to your move out and leave the home in the best possible condition you can, this will give you the best chance of receiving some of your damage deposit back.
- OR – Move out, and be liable for any rent due until the unit is re-rented. You will also owe the cost of any damages or cleaning that is needed, in addition to normal make ready costs like rekeying the locks, etc to get it ready to rent again.
Regardless of your situation or which way you proceed, please keep these VERY IMPORTANT things in mind:
- You still need to give as much notice as possible, 30 days is an absolute minimum, and notice must be delivered to us through our online form here.
- Don’t let yourself get evicted – move out as quickly as possible, and officially turn possession back over to us as soon as you’re moved out. Evictions will prevent you from renting or buying a decent home in the future, and when you do get approved it will be for increased rents and increased damage deposits. Do everything possible to ensure we can get the home re-rented as quickly as possible, as that’s the best way to minimize your costs in this situation.
- Keep us informed of the status and follow through with everything you say you’re going to do. If you fail to follow through we won’t have any choice but to take legal action, especially if your rent isn’t currently paid in full.
- Make sure you comply with all move out procedures. Everything is laid out specifically for you on that page to ensure that you minimize your costs.
- If your rent isn’t paid in full please make sure to move as quickly as possible to avoid legal problems.
- If you are forced to leave a balance owed make sure to make a payment arrangement immediately, and follow through with it. If we don’t have a payment arrangement in place we will have to send your account to collections, which is almost as bad as an eviction on your record.
- In many cases the owner will credit some or all of your damage deposit towards your balance due if you leave the house in good condition and ready to rent. If you leave trash, damage, and cleaning to be dealt with when you move out I can guarantee you will be charged the entire balance of what you owe and you’ll be forfeiting your deposit.
- Everyone on the lease has to be in agreement on terminating the lease, regardless of who pays the termination fee. One leaseholder cannot terminate a lease without the consent of all others on the lease.
- A lease cannot be terminated until the possession of the home has been fully transferred back to us, that means that if anyone is still living in the home or we don’t have the agreement of all lease holders we cannot terminate the lease and will have to move forward with eviction proceedings if the lease obligations aren’t being met (rent isn’t paid).
- If you know you cannot pay your rent the best thing to do is to move out of the home regardless of anything else. We will do our best to work with you to resolve your balance, but the most important thing is that we’re able to get the home rented to someone else to remove your continued obligation. Staying in a home you cannot afford will only result in evictions, lawsuits, collections, and a stain on your background check that will haunt you for the next 10+ years, and cost you MUCH more than you could ever imagine in the form of higher rents, higher damage deposits, and lots and lots of rental application fees with nothing to show for it but a lot of rejections.