Tenants and landlords share a very sensitive bond. Especially when it comes to the leasing agreement. Tenants or property owners can terminate the lease or break it under certain circumstances. In some instances, the situation can be right and in others, it may be wrong and the other party may have to pay a fine for it. It may become a hard decision to make whether to terminate it or not.
Under wrong reasons, the landowner may file charges against the tenant or vice versa if the reason is considered invalid. So, what are the conditions under which termination of the lease can take place and be considered valid for both parties?
Reasons for an Early Lease Termination?
Tenants may have some reasons of their own due to which they would like to terminate the lease. As a landlord, this may cause problems for you. But if the reasons are valid then you will have to adhere to them. As these circumstances cannot be ignored you will have to go with the termination. So, here are a few reasons due to which you can terminate the rental lease and that would be legally right.
Military Deployment
Military people often have to shift from one place to another. After all, they are servicing our country and that makes them a special case. It would be bad if you are expecting military personnel to continue their lease even if they are called on duty. They may be unexpectedly called for the military service to a faraway place and in such conditions, you can’t expect them to continue with the rental lease. In such cases, the lease will have to be terminated.
Even though military personnel is bestowed with lots of benefits still as a tenant they will have to follow the protocol. Depending upon the scenario you the person has to give a 30-day notice to his or her landlord. If they leave the property before that, they will have to pay the rent for the same the following month.
Domestic Violence
In certain states, there are laws in place that allow people suffering from unlawful harassment, domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault to terminate the lease and relocate to a safer place. In case you are in such a situation, it will be best to consult a lawyer. This will give everyone a clear understanding of the situation.
Most of the time, the property owners are considerate of the matter and allow the tenants to break the lease and move without any issues. As this can be unsafe for the tenants as well as the landlords, it is best to allow them to move immediately. In case of suspicion, you can go through the tenant rights and laws to follow the string of procedures.
Job Loss
Losing a job can be a common thing that can happen to anyone. The tenant would want to shift to smaller and more convenient accommodation instead of continuing to stay in the present one and is unable to pay the rental. These things may happen suddenly and it could be a big pressure on the tenant to carry on with the rental payment. This would require everyone to handle such a situation in a compassionate way.
Instead of going for unnecessary chaos, you can deal with such things silently and in an understanding way. Job loss may not come up during the tenant screening while allowing them to rent the place. According to Property management companies in Baltimore, job loss is one of the lesser-known reasons for people to terminate their lease prematurely. In such instances, as a landlord, you need to show compassion and solve the matter without including an eviction notice or debt collector. This will only cost money to both parties unnecessarily.
Long term Illness or Divorce
Illness or divorce are two things that don’t announce their arrival. Long-term illness leaves a financial burden on the tenant whereas the divorce doesn’t allow you to enjoy a shared property with your better half. So, it is quite normal to change it while you still have time. In such cases, the rental payment can be a big concern for the renters.
The landlords have legal rights to cancel the termination but you will have to exercise a bit of understanding on your part. A simple understanding can help simplify everything for both teams. If someone in the family of the tenant is going through prolonged illness or has gone through death it can throw a family into jeopardy. Instead of making things worse for them try and keep a cool head while making decisions carefully. Showing your human side try and silently let the tenants terminate their lease. This will also mainly depend on the relationship that the landlord and tenant share.
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Job Transfer
Job transfer is another reason why people are unable to keep up with their rental lease agreement. It comes quite unexpectedly. But as your landlord may know about this from the very beginning, the news of job transfer should not come as a surprise for you. According to the law of the state, if a person has a transferable job, you can terminate the lease agreement.
Telling the property owner during the tenant screening will help in the best way possible. making a mention of this fact will ensure that you avoid confusion in the last hour. At the same time, you will have to give a 30-day notice. In case you have to move early, you will have to make the rental payment even then for those 30 days.
Uninhabitability of the Location
There are times when tenants move to a new place but after moving, they may not find it appealing. The neighborhood influences the property as well. What if there is a dump yard close to your property or a bad influence on the people around it? As a landlord, you must ensure that your tenant gets a habitable and safe locality. If you are unable to do so, then try not to hold to the lease agreement. Even the law would stand with the tenants’ petition.