Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California

early lease termination

I leased an apartment for 6 months. A couple of weeks before lease was up i received a letter for a lease renewal, i signed it...the actual start of lease isn't until Febuary 2, 2003 and I want to move out now however the complex wont let me out of it even though it hasnt gone into effect. Can they do that? Is there anything I can do?


Asked on 1/29/03, 12:52 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Bryan Whipple Bryan R. R. Whipple, Attorney at Law

Re: early lease termination

The lease extension is not rendered invalid nor is it cancellable by you for the mere reason that performance (i.e., your occupancy and the landlord's allowing the occupancy) under it hasn't begun. All kinds of contracts are signed well before performance by either party is due. Think about the signing of sports stars to contract extensions, for example.

Your liability for damages can be limited, however, by the principle that if you breach the lease (or lease extension), the landlord cannot get damages in excess of the harm he would have sustained had he made a reasonable effort to find a replacement tenant.

Usually you can buy your way out of an unwanted lease by offering to pay one or two months rent. Another idea is to find a replacement tenant or someone you can assign or sublet to (check the lease terms regarding assignment and sublease).

Then, negotiate your best deal.

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Answered on 1/30/03, 5:29 pm


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