Can I legally break my lease in Texas?
I live in a large house, I pay about 1250 a month in rent. I agreed to get a large house because with the income I made I could afford it plus I have extremely bad credit and the property manager I was working with took couples with bad credit…but I had to sign a two year lease.
Well, since then I’ve had to take a pay cut and it’s made things very hard to pay. My job isn’t making as much money anymore and so most of the management members had to take a pay cut.
I also have not been happy with my living conditions. My first month in the house, the plumbing broke and I had to pay for it. It was not deducted from my rent. I was also told that the lawn would be taken care of the first month in which it was not. The realtor told me to get a receipt for it but the lawn guy didn’t speak english nor did he document that stuff so I let that slide. Our air conditioning stopped working and she was gonna have me pay it, but changed her mind after I brought up the plumbing (which I have never been reimbursed for).
Hurricane Ike damaged our back door and roof which has not been repaired and we have called her twice on it. Then last week she accused me of owning a dog and asked if I paid a pet deposit on the dog (it was the neighbor’s running in my yard, IDC he’s got a nice dog).
My main problem is that I just can’t afford the rent anymore. I make 25% less than I did 6 months ago when we got the house. My boss even offered to type up a letter for me and tell her that I’m being re-located. I just don’t know what to do and I can’t afford an attorney nor do I want bad renter’s history…I’ve done absolutely wonderful with it. What should I do?
*** I have 2 room mates and a boyfriend. One room mate is moving out because he doesn’t like to pay rent.
**** Also, the female room mate with me has lived with me for 3 years.
***** Actually with cable, electricity, water and groceries it’s more than $420 a month.
I’ve been through 4 room mates in this house and I’m running out people to choose from.
Tagged with: Break Lease • Hurricane • Plumbing
Filed under: Renting & Real Estate
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You have no grounds to break your lease. Try getting a roommate to share the cost.
a; for anything where you gave the LL a 30 day notice re specific
maintenance issues, when Jan’s rent is due, pay it MINUS what
you paid for maintenance. And submit a receipt copy to the LL.
b; IT is fine to get mr Illegal to give you a receipt NOW or make
up one yourself….and submit it too. And deduct it.
c; find a replacement tenant for your part of the unit–and for the
remainder of your lease, YOU will be that person’s LL. YOU collect
and you call for maintenance and you need tell no one UNLESS
your lease permits sub-letting. IF it does, then go through
the LL’s methods of replacing you.
With 3 of you living there (you, bf, roommate), each should only have to pay less than $420/month to make the rent. Is that too much for each of you?
I suggest you read your lease agreement very carefully. There should be a section in there about sub-letting or assigning the lease.
You may be able to persuade your LL to let you find a replacement tenant(s), but it will be the responsibility of whoever is shown on the lease as a tenant to pay the rent in the meantime.
Good luck.
Anything in your income changing is not grounds to break your lease, not fair but legal. A letter stating that you are being re-located will not help either. That is only for military.
All you can do is figure out how to stay or pay the penalties stated in your lease to break it. Those are really your only options.
Your pay cut isn’t the problem of the landlord involved here. That’s YOUR problem. Don’t bother with a letter of relocation either, since that isn’t a valid reason to terminate either, unless you are active military.
You need to bite the bullet and get a second job and/or another roommate to help pay your expenses. You do have a valid complaint with the plumbing which broke, unless it was clogged plumbing caused by you.