I lost my job last week and cannot make rent for next month. Landlord said if I wanted to vacate early then I would have to pay the remaining amount on the lease (2 months).


What are my options?

Your options are to pay, to run and get sued or to find someone to assume your lease.

Unfortunately, when you sign a lease, you sign a promise to pay for however long the contract states. When you cannot pay that lease amount, you have to abide by what the contract/landlord has stated.

Unless you can work out some type of payment plan with your landlord, you have to pay the complete amount.

While I don't disagree with your first two responses, unless you are in Florida, the landlord is required to make a good faith effort to re rent the unit. And they cannot double dip, so once its rented, your obligation ends.

Thank you all for clarifying my options, but after further review of my lease (Terms & Conditions) or within the "Resident Handbook and Community Policies" about negative consequences towards me should I choose to end the lease early.

Am I obligated to pay the remaining 2 months even though it states no where in my lease agreement nor written policies?

Thanks in advance!

If your lease does not address the consequences of breaking your lease then by law you are responsible for the rent until the landlord re-rents the property or the end of the lease term, whichever occurs first. However, as noted above, in almost all states the landlord is required to make a reasonable effort to re-rent.

As Lisa noted, the absence of a early termination clause in your lease, or a statutory requirement that there be one, means that you are required to fulfill the full terms of your lease.

Thank you all for your expertise!