[Ray52]

My mother and I signed a contract for a 1 year lease in August and we paid first and last. The place was in the perfect spot, and cause no one has lived here for years on end it was infested with rats and it was totally filthy and the carpet was full of bugs and such... we will NOT live in poo so we took care of the rat problem and WE cleaned this place top to bottom, painted it, replaced the carpet, and cleaned the otherside of it with our own money because the landlord doesn't care for taking care of any of his rentals around the city (we have a friend who rented out a place from him a few years ago and had to do the same things we have done).

Anyway, aside from spending money out the butt on this place, my mothers new job pays LESS then her old one because her old one got bought out and business isn't good there and she was going to lose her job anyway so she just got a new one but all the money she makes goes to the rent and the utilities no matter how much water/gas/electricity we hardly use... and we never have money to buy food or anything and Christmas is coming and need to buy at least a few presents.. like come on it's Christmas... and I can't get a job yet because I had surgery and can't work for a few months still but we can't afford this place.

PLUS my grandmother's eyesight is going and she can't drive or do anything so we need to go take care of her and she lives out of the city so it requires moving and everything... we put our apartment up for rent on websites and stuff (we talked to the landlord about it first) but we have only had one girl come by and no one else seems to want to even take a glance at this place because the outside is very unattractive even after we tried to clean it... we were wanting out by January/February because we can't live with no food and other NEEDED household items/objects because all the money goes to the rent. (And loans aren't an option!)

Little help?:( Any advice?

[Ray52]

"and cleaned the 'otherside' of it with our own money because the.."
Outside**

[excon]

My mother and I signed a contract for a 1 year lease in August and we payed first and last.

Hello Ray:

Couple things...

Other than your first sentence above, the rest is just a sad story. Here on the legal boards, we don't care much about sad stories - because in the eyes of the law, they don't matter.

Unless you can sublet, or make a deal with the landlord, you ARE responsible for paying the rent till your lease expires. A good deal for YOU would be the loss of your deposit, plus a months rent... (I know, it doesn't sound very good - but, depending on how desirable the house is, it is a good deal.)

Here's the good/bad news. Unless you live in Florida, once you break your lease, your landlord is obligated to "mitigate" your damages by re renting the house as soon as possible. The bad news is that you said it hasn't been rented for years, and isn't attractive at all. So, they might NOT be able to rent it, even if they try...

Now, I don't know whether your landlord will go after you. He certainly might. If he does, he'll win a judgment. With the judgment, he'll be able to seize your bank accounts, garnish your wages, and put a black mark on your credit reports.

I know you can't afford it, but I think it will cost you a lot MORE to break your lease.

excon

PS> Personally, I would NEVER move into a rental that wasn't spotless. It say's SOOOOO much about the landlord.

[Ray52]

Thanks excon... I know the rest is just sadstory but some people will argue about just getting better jobs to pay and such which is easier said then done lol but yea were probably going to have to stay here but were trying anyway.

It it was in such a good spot and all the other places were a lot more money so we just decided to clean it because we looked underneath the.. filth.