Breaking Lease!

desperaterobots

Tomorrow I'm signing a 12 month lease with a friend. Without signing the full 12 months we weren't likely to get the property. Tomorrow we lay down a tonne of money on bond.

Now, I've told my friend I'm intending on being there only 6 months. Since my name will be on the lease for 12 months, what are my options/obligations/etc when it comes to leaving and having my bond returned to me? Should I write something up between me and my friend? She's expressed the desire to stay there the full 12 months or more, but where will I stand if I decide to move?

Don't want to get screwed, but the rental market is so fucking tight and expensive these days this is the only decent place we could find within budget that wasn't being applied for by hundreds of other people. (We went to inspect a unit last week about about 90 people were there. Jesus!) Halp!

Grundlestiltskin

Would depend on the laws of your location and the terms of your lease, but generally speaking if you're on the lease you, her, or someone else will have to continue to pay your end of the rent. Subletting is a common solution to this issue, but a lot of leases prohibit subletting without going through the property manager.

Hard to say without more information.

desperaterobots

Yes, that's the part that only struck me today. I don't want to wind up paying for half a house while I'm in another state. However, we will be getting a third person in, so it may be a matter of letting this person know that down the track I'll be leaving and they may need to pick up the slack until they can find a replacement for me.

But, my bond! It's like, $1200 or something crazy, and I'll need it when I move.

khain

If you sign a lease its your responsibility to either pay it or find some one else to sublet your apartment, assuming the lease allows you to, not your roomates.

amateurhour

Yeah, it really doesn't matter what you told your friend, you're obligated to the lessor, not your friend.

Your best bet is to find someone to sublet as soon as possible and go through the realty office to make it official, so that you'll be out of the contract in six months and the new sublet will replace you.

Also, make sure you leave proper forwarding addresses and phone numbers so your deposits don't get mailed to the wrong location, and be prepared to pay any type of penalty they may assign to this process.

PirateJon

Call the person doing the signing.

desperaterobots

Yeah we're going to the office this morning, we will be asking. It's a three bedroom dealy and we'll be getting a third person (a mutual friend) to move in, so they will probably take over the lease for me. I know about it being my responsibility to find someone else/pay the rent etc, I just don't want to have to wait for 6 months to get my bond back (or not at all if my friend turns into a crazy and trashes the joint when its under my name).

Thanks guys, we'll see how it goes today.

Grundlestiltskin

desperaterobots wrote: »

Yeah we're going to the office this morning, we will be asking. It's a three bedroom dealy and we'll be getting a third person (a mutual friend) to move in, so they will probably take over the lease for me. I know about it being my responsibility to find someone else/pay the rent etc, I just don't want to have to wait for 6 months to get my bond back (or not at all if my friend turns into a crazy and trashes the joint when its under my name).

Thanks guys, we'll see how it goes today.

Assuming by "bond" you mean some kind of deposit (security?), you probably won't be able to get it back until the lease is up.

RNEMESiS42

If you can find someone to sublet, you should be fine.

Pitseleh

erm, what you are looking to do isn't a sublet, because a sublet keeps you on the lease and just makes you responsible for the subletter. A subletter could fuck off and destroy the unit and you wouldn't get your security deposit back. What you are looking for is a "re let" or assignment. Basically at the end of your six months you assign the lease to a new person who would then have to pay the security deposit, you would recieve yours back, and you would be off the lease entirely. This is the option you're looking for. The reason people sublet is because you don't have to pay a security deposit that way, assignment should be written into every lease, at least it is here in Chicago!

ceres

I've never lived in Australia, so I'm not sure how the law works there, but here if you sign on as an occupant and not a tenant, you are not legally responsible for the rent. Also, if you're an occupant you can be removed from the lease at any time. I am listed on my lease as an occupant and not a tenant, so I know this is possible.