Can You Give a 15-day Notice to End a Lease, Even When a Landlord Asks for 60 Days?

For property renters, there may come a time when you want to end your tenancy before the end of your lease. You may have a family emergency, need to relocate for a new job, or find your living situation no longer suitable. Although leases usually last for a set term and require a certain notice period, you may not be out of luck if you need to break your lease early.

One of the best and easiest ways to initially address this situation is to talk to your landlord. If you explain your situation, your landlord may be willing to let you leave without the proper notice. However, if your relationship with your landlord isn’t so amicable, there may be legal remedies available to help you leave without 60-day notice. The worst-case scenario may be that you will owe your landlord rent to cover the time period between when you give your notice to leave and the required 60-day notice.

If you can’t afford to cover this cost, retaining an attorney who is experienced in landlord-tenant agreements can help you get out of your lease without breaking the bank. Each jurisdiction has different landlord-tenant laws and requirements for ending a tenancy, so an attorney can provide you with information you need to handle your particular case.

For example, in most jurisdictions, your landlord is required to take reasonable steps to re-rent the property and credit that rent towards your remaining balance. Additionally, there are legally justifiable reasons for you to break your lease without giving the required notice. These reasons may include the landlord’s failure to maintain fit and habitable housing or substantial destruction of the property.

Moving out of a rented apartment or house quickly is stressful enough without having to fight with your landlord. Whether you are legally justified in breaking your lease or not, an attorney will be able to assist you in getting out, so that you can move on to your new home.

Stephen K. Hachey, a Florida real estate attorney, can help your wade through this process and determine a positive solution. Contact him at 813-549-0096.

The opinions in this post are solely those of the author. The author takes full responsibility for the content. Like all blog posts, this is offered for general information purposes and does not constitute legal advice.