[nene68]

I signed a lease with my boyfriend. I was unemployed and never contributed to t.he lease. I had to leave for my emotional and physical safety. My boyfriend was verbally abusing me and put his hands on me and threated me. He is remaining in the property. The landlord is trying to collect a lease break fee from me in order to remove me from the lease. Help, any information would help.

[Fr_Chuck]

You want to get off the lease. Yes they can charge a fee for that. If not, you are still on the lease and liable for things your boyfriend does.

You can of course fight it, showing copies of the police reports where the police came when he abused you. Perhaps his arrest records for these.

How much do they want to break the lease ? If not very much, it may well be worth it to get your name off, if not you are still on the lease and liable for unpaid rents, damage to property and more

[ScottGem]

Have you read the lease? A lease is a binding contract. If the lease has termination clause involving a fee, then you have to pay it to be removed from the lease. If there is no such clause the landlord does not have to let you out of the lease at all.

So you need to decide where your best interests lie. Do you trust the boyfriend to continue paying until the end of the lease or do you think he will screw you and you need to get your name off the lease.