About a year ago, my girlfriend and I moved into an apartment together. We were both on the lease. We were on a low income housing contract.

After one week of arguing, I decided to move out. She had no job, and decided to stay until she could figure out where to go.

I told her I would pay for 30 days, and then she had to be out.
After 45 days, the apartment management convinced me to release my ex-girlfriend from the contract so I can kick her out.

My ex agreed, signed herself off, and moved out.

The apartment management told me to sign a 30 day notice, and that as soon as they find someone to move in, then my contract is done. They told me it is pretty quick in low income, because there is usually a waiting list.

However, they decided to change from the low income contract which I was on, to a new untested contract which is not much cheaper than regular, but is fixed. So that rent will never raise.

Well, after my 6 month contract was up, they still never found anyone who wanted to move in on this new contract.
Now they have sent me a bill for almost $6,000.00 and I'm trying to save a down payment for a house!

Can they really force me to pay a full 6 month contract when I was only there a week?

They knew the situation completely. I think this is really unfair.

What was the term of your original lease, 1 year? You are bound to the lease and if you give notice that does not excuse you. You must pay until they find a new tenant. Should have kept your ex on the lease, she'd be paying half.

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Originally Posted by ballengerb1

What was the term of your original lease, 1 year?? You are bound to the lease and if you give notice that does not excuse you. You must pay until they find a new tenant. Should have kept your ex on the lease, she'd be paying half.

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The original term was 6 months. I just don't see how they can change to a new type of contract and still expect me to pay while they see if people want it. It's not my fault they created a contract nobody wanted. If they kept the same contract which I came in on, there still would have been a waiting list when I gave notice.

How is it fair for me to pay for 6 months when I was only there a week?? There has to be some kind of fair-contract law.

How was it fair for you to back out of a contract in which you agreed to reside there for 6 months? Signing a contract is a two-way street. You obligate yourself to the other party as much as they obligate themselves to you.

No the key here is that they needed to make a good faith effort to rent the apartment after you broke the lease. Its possible a judge might decide that changing the type of contract did not constitute such a good faith effort. So let them sue you and defend yourself on those grounds.

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Originally Posted by ScottGem

How was it fair for you to back out of a contract in which you agreed to reside there for 6 months? Signing a contract is a two-way street. You obligate yourself to the other party as much as they obligate themselves to you.

No the key here is that they needed to make a good faith effort to rent the apartment after you broke the lease. Its possible a judge might decide that changing the type of contract did not constitute such a good faith effort. So let them sue you and defend yourself on those grounds.

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I wish they WOULD just sue me. They've given me 30 days to pay in full or else they will put it on my credit report. I just fixed my credit, and it's on the rise. I was planning on buying a house in about a year and a half. This will hurt me pretty bad.

I don't think it will hurt you as bad as you think. If they sue you and you win, you can get it off the record.