I currently rent an apartment, and I signed a 1 year lease in July of last year. When I moved in, I called the office because I had no kitchen cabinet door, and was missing a drawer. Also, the dishwasher we were promised never worked. They never did anything about it. The neighborhood is bad, and I am scared to live there. The apartment is very livable, its just inconvenient. Also, my mother is sick and I need to stay with her 2 hours away. I don't know anyone who wants to take over my lease, and I called the office and they said that if I break the lease I am required to pay the rent until the end of my lease. Is there any way to get out of a lease? I can't afford a lawyer. Thanks in advance for your help!

Not really. But if they are not taking care of the building you can withhold the rent, but this is not soemthing you can do alone. The funds have to be held by a third party (in escrow as its called) until they agree to do the repairs. This unfortunately needs to be set up by a lawyer as far as I know.

But back the main question, you cannot break the lease because you realise now the neighborhood isn't so nice and you need to be with your mother more. All you can really do is place an ad in the paper at your own expense to try and get someone to take over the apt.

I myself am getting out of my lease early. My landlord is allowing me to break the lease a month and a half early due to my displeasures. (I have had to deal without heat, no working lights in common areas, and right now an infestation of carpet beetles due to my neighbors neglect - my list goes on and on, but those are not enough to break my lease free and clear). My landlord would allow me to break my lease early only if I found a new tenant.

I posted my apartment both on Craigs List (free classified website) and MySpace (offer a classified section). It was time consuming, but worth it in the end. I highly recommend posting pictures and referencing other postings to see what type of wording would get the most attention. I also showed the apartment myself as well as replied to all interested parties' emails. I was very careful about only giving information about the apartment and having them contact the landlord about the specifics - lease terms, pets, financials, etc. I never wanted to speak on behalf of the landlord. The information I gave was very general.

I "staged" it as if I was selling my house. There are a ton of websites that offer information on staging. I had a week long open house in the evenings. I had about 20 people come by and 6 very interested parties. I found someone to sign a new lease - not a sublease, since my lease will be void once this new person's starts.

I would run this idea by your landlord before you start trying to find a new tenant. Get their approval. It's a much better alternative to paying for a place you are no longer living at. And it may be your only way out. Getting out of a lease is near to impossible.

In regards to the escrow account, the city that I live in offers them through the courts without a lawyer. You may want to check with your city. And I myself cannot afford a lawyer either, but I do have one on retainer through a prepaid service.

Good luck!

Actually the law of habitability covers renters when dealing with unhealthful living environment. When renting the company is pretty much guaranteeing it safe to live in and must one. Might want to read upon this law. May help you in and save you from searching for a new tenant for landlord.. Here is a link.Implied Warranty of Habitability | LII / Legal Information Institute