Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in Maryland
If I am not going to be working in the very near future, and I will be unable to pay my high priced rent, is that a valid legal reason to terminate my lease agreement?
Also, can my landlord charge me an additional termination fee on top of requesting 60 days notice paid rent? The fee is, my rent times two (an additional $2400.), due on the 59th day before turning in the keys.
If I can't afford what I am paying monthly, how can I afford 4 months worth of rent in 60 days?
Thanks,
--The Accountant
1 Answer from Attorneys
To answer your first question, unfortunately, no. Leases do not generally condition the legal obligation to pay on the tenant's working. However, sometimes you can negotiate to break the lease with your landlord based on your life circumstances. In all cases the landlord has a duty to mitigate or lessen its damages if possible.
If you can't get your landlord to agree to let you out of the lease, depending on your lease language you may have some options like subletting. Note that if you will not be working due to a medical condition, Maryland law may limit your damages to 2 months if you have a doctor's note.
While I hope this post gives you a general idea of Maryland law, it is not legal advice and the facts of your particular situation may affect how the general rules apply to you. You may want to engage an attorney to review the lease at issue and help negotiate with your landlord.
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