Breaking a lease in Texas is no easy task, as it is a legally binding agreement between the tenant and the landlord. However, if you find yourself in a situation where you need to break your lease, it is possible.
The first step to breaking your lease is to contact your landlord. Explain why you need to terminate the lease early and ask if the landlord would be willing to come to an agreement. This could involve offering to pay additional costs in exchange for an early termination of the lease. Some apartment leases have an early termination clause that specifies the cost (typically two months’ rent). In other cases, landlords may be willing to negotiate as they would rather have some money than none at all.
Make sure that all agreements are in writing and signed by both parties before any money changes hands or actions are taken. Breaking a lease in Texas can be complicated but with careful planning and communication with your landlord, it can be done.
If you break an apartment lease without an agreement with your landlord, it can end up costing thousands. A landlord will typically charge all remaining rent through the end of your lease plus additional charges. Landlords are supposed to apply a credit when a replacement tenant is found but many ignore their responsibility.
Most apartments will report lease debts to a collection agency which will report them to the credit bureaus. Many landlords will not rent to a prospective tenant who has a debt to their former landlord on their credit report. This can result in having to live at a less desirable residence or even homelessness.
If an inflated or inaccurate debt is preventing you from finding a place to live, contact me. I have had excellent results in assisting consumers resolve issues related to apartment debts.