I rent a two bedroom apartment with my wife from a management company in St. Paul. We made the decision to move out of state, and filled out the appropriate paperwork, paid an extra months rent ($825) to break our lease, and were informed that we would be responsible for rent until the end of May. On May 12th, the property manager called and asked if we would be able to move out early so that the management company could perform maintenance and upgrade the apartment before the next tenants took possession on June 1st. We agreed to move out on the 19th, assuming that after we turned in our keys, we would no longer have to pay for the last 12 days of May. The day I turned in my keys, I asked the property manager about prorating our May rent, and he said that it wouldn't be a problem. Two days later, he called me and said that since the next tenants would not move in early, the management company wouldn't prorate the rent. I went back to the company's office and asked why this was, and they said it was an optional move out and that we did not have to leave therefore they did not have to pay. Is this legal? Ethical? What actions can be taken?

This is why all agreements must be put in writing.

If you would have gottten the oK to prorate the rent in writing, you can hold him to it, at this point you can only do what is allowed in the lease