Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Legal reasoning
• Method 2 of 3: Loopholes in the lease
• Method 3 of 3: Alternative Ideas
• Tips
• Warnings

It can be difficult for a good landlord these days. If your place of residence or business in the management company leaves a lot to be desired, you will most likely want to terminate the lease relationship through legal or other means. Check out the possibilities before taking any significant action.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Legal reasoning

1. 1 Accusation of uninhabitable conditions. It could be something as minor as an unusable pool (when the lease implies its use)! You are not forced to remain in an unsafe environment or in one that completely contradicts the conditions that you were originally guaranteed.
   • Find controversial issues within your apartment. Do you have open, sharp corners? Are the parasites continuing to bother you? Are you smelling toxic odors from a sewer leak? Broken heater? You cannot create these problems yourself, but take a closer look at your living conditions, which are substandard, but for which you pay.
   • Look for problems outside of your apartment. Is the gate broken and unsafe? Are there any significant discrepancies with the picture you were shown? Is the car park in disrepair? If so, you can claim that you have been misled and that you do not feel safe under the current circumstances.
   • Give the landlord the opportunity to fix the problem. Unfortunately, you cannot leave your place of residence and postpone the resolution of issues until a later date. And, if he does not resolve the issues in a timely manner, you have good reason to terminate the lease. Notify the owner by registered mail and in person, especially if you do not exclude the possibility of judicial resolution of issues.
2. 2 Refer to illegal activities. You will need to do some research work, but this is not as difficult as it might seem. Do your research in terms of government regulation and also learn more about the history of the house you live in.
   • If a garage or other building was converted into a residential part of the house, it may have been done illegally. Check that you have the necessary permissions to do this and that the zoning principles are not violated.
   • If the building is owned by the mortgagee or in the process of changing the owner, this is also the basis for early termination of the lease.
3. 3 Study home owners. Many apartment and home managers assume that you will take their word for it. But if they are not who they say they are, this is an automatic reason to terminate the contract.
   • It may turn out that the owner of the house does not have the right to manage the property, or is a tenant who rented out premises without notifying the owners. The case can be more serious if it turns out that the company through which you are renting an apartment exists illegally.
4. 4 Use unfortunate circumstances to your advantage. If the situation gets out of your control, you can legally terminate the lease. Here are some reasons:
   • Obtaining a summons for active military service
   • Internal unrest in the area where you live
   • Serious injury and hospitalization
   • Declaring bankruptcy

Method 2 of 3: Loopholes in the lease

1. 1 Find the ransom clause. Some contracts have an early termination section. Study your agreement carefully to find out about your options. If you cannot find your copy of the contract, ask the landlord for a copy.
   • The buyout clause is part of your lease that sets a specific amount for the property and you can legally terminate the lease by submitting notices. This is often dictated by the need to determine the amount of total rent.
2. 2 The ambiguity of certain points. If something in your contract is not clear or is mentioned twice, the victory is yours. Read and re-read your agreement, and find clauses with vague interpretation.
   • Some tenants provide a document that looks like a lease at first glance, but is actually a monthly lease agreement.
     • The contract says that the security deposit will not be returned if you rent a house for less than X months. This is a condition of a monthly rental agreement with an illegal condition of a security deposit (since it cannot be irrevocable).
     • When it comes to a free month of rent that must be paid if you are renting less than X months, it is also a monthly rental contract with an illegal attempt to use the terms of a non-refundable security deposit.
     • If the agreement does not specify an end date for the lease or otherwise specifies the lease term as a year, for example, you most likely have a monthly lease agreement.
   • If you have an original contract and are working on renewing it, this falls under the terms of the monthly lease agreement.
   • Carefully read the double-checked paragraphs and the small print sections (in both copies).
3. 3 Take advantage of the civil code. If you make a list of reasonable requirements for the landlord that are not being met, you have every reason to legally leave the premises.
   • Write him a letter (make sure you have a copy) outlining your requirements in a sensible and thoughtful way.
   • If your landlord is putting in little or no effort to resolve your issues, you can sue him. Of course, he doesn't want to terminate the lease. His weekly winds around the city and approval of estimates for work does not change anything for you. The obligations of the landlord must be fulfilled in a timely and orderly manner.
     • US law differs from state to state - check what your state offers to tenants.

Method 3 of 3: Alternative Ideas

1. 1 Find a subtenant. The main concern of the landlord is timely receipts. If you find yourself a replacement, that may be enough.
   • Offer your landlord a list and highlight a few names. Thus, he will select the best candidates and will soon announce to whom he intends to lease his estate next.
   • You can offer potential tenants a deal. But be prepared to drop a few dollars per deposit to encourage them to move as soon as you leave.
2. 2 Offer a deal to your landlord. You may be surprised how readily he agrees with your proposal. Before burning your bridges, try to talk honestly and frankly.
   • Offer to pay in advance for one or two months of the lease to soften his pocketbook. Thus, he will have more time to find a new tenant (or maybe he even doubled his income).
   • If you don't know your landlord, that's not a good sign. If you ask for information about the owner or the management of the company - and you are refused, in all likelihood, they are hiding from tax collectors or are afraid of filing a lawsuit. Do not stop and continue to act within the law, because this is how you can find the legal basis for terminating your contract.
3. 3 Make the landlord want you to move out. This is best used if your landlord is a very dubious type. If he is responsive and professional in his field, then your actions will not look convincing. It is better to resort to this method when everyone else is powerless.
   • Organize a meeting of your tenants. If you voice your dissatisfaction in a loud voice, most likely you will be advised to go your own way alone (mainly to avoid any penalties in your direction).
   • Call the health inspector. Even if you don't have problems visible to the naked eye, the noise generated (and the likelihood of future problems) can be a reason why the landlord wants to ask you to leave his property.

Tips

• You should pay your rent on time as you are still bound by the lease. Good behavior can pay off.

Warnings

• Don't exacerbate the problem by evading payment. Tearing your apartment apart will only make your problem worse.
• States in America have different laws. Study the laws of the state in which you live before making any decisions.
• Act only within the law. Doubtful actions on your part may lead the landlord to go to court.