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View Full Version : Breaking a lease in Missouri due to disability?


manderson1958
Aug 21, 2011, 08:13 AM
I live in Missouri. I was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's. I had this diagnosis a few months before we moved in to the house we are leasing, but added partial complex seizure disorder after we moved in, and now have a medical order to stop driving.

I had a transischemic accident in July and was hospitalized, and now have to have a walker to assist me to walk. The baths in the house are now too high for me to get in safely, and there is no wheelchair ramp. The baths also do not have hand rails installed that can support me. It is cost prohibitive for us to make these modifications and then restore the house to its original configuration, and we make too much money to qualify for grants.

Now it appears that my spouse has developed Parkinson's, and we may not have anyone in the home able to drive. There is no public transportation to our home, in fact the only commercial transportation is a limosine service which will come out for $120 per hour, which is cost prohibitive for us.

Is there any legal way for us to break our lease or must we rely on the good will of our property management company or landlord?

excon
Aug 21, 2011, 08:35 AM
Is there any legal way for us to break our lease or must we rely on the good will of our property management company or landlord?Hello m:

No and no...

No, there's no legal way to break your lease... And, no you don't have to rely on the good will of your landlord...

I encourage you to change your perspective. In business, there's NO good will. There's profit and there's loss. Good will doesn't enter into that equation. You're no different. YOUR main concern here is MONEY. So, if MONEY is what motivates BOTH of you, why not use MONEY to solve the problem??

You ARE responsible for the balance of the lease... But, if you just walked out, he'd STILL have to rent it to someone else ASAP and only charge you the difference... That means if he found a tenant in a month, you'd only be liable for a months rent...

So, why not offer him a months rent to let you out of your lease? Maybe you'll have to settle on two months, but I'm sure there's a number that's reasonable for BOTH of you. Hopefully, you'll be able to reach it.

excon

Fr_Chuck
Aug 21, 2011, 08:40 AM
I wish I could say yes, but honestly no,

The landlord may have some responsibility to put a ramp in and some handrails for the home.
As for as the tub, they make tub benches your health insurance may take care of, that allows you to slide in and out over the tub.
You will not be able to sit in the water but you can wash off with a hose attachment

Have you talked to your landlord about adding some things to the rental ?
Have you asked them about getting out of the lease.

But no you can not break the lease

manderson1958
Aug 21, 2011, 05:18 PM
The transportation is the key issue - have worked for three weeks to try to obtain transportation to make it to my speech therapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy classes, but there is NONE.

@excon, got it, I will offer something to get something.

Fr_Chuck
Aug 21, 2011, 05:45 PM
Check with some of the state agencies, in many there are required state provided transportation for people with disabilities.