I'm looking at renting a house but I still have 6 months left on my existing lease. My current landlords are willing to release me from the lease if we find a new tenant, but there's no guarantee of that, especially at this time of year.

The new landlady is not willing to take the rental off the market but would be willing to give us a right of first refusal if they find another tenant. She wants a month rent for this agreement. If she has another offer and we decline, we get our full deposit back.

This seems like a risk-free deal for me, but she has asked me to write up the agreement and I'm a little nervous. Has anyone heard of this kind of deal and know where I might get some legal verbiage to ensure it?

We're in New Jersey, if that matters.

Thanks.

Sounds like a bad bet to me. Are you sure you heard her correctly? You give her say $1000 just for the right of first refusal. Did she say this is applied toward your rent ? So a new renter comes along in a month or so and you old place has not been sublet so what do you do, pay for both places and also the first $1000??

Normally they get to keep the money if you don't rent it, that is why you pay a depsoit, for example, why take the money if they will just give it back