If I recently broke a lease due to financial reasons, what can happen?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
If I recently broke a lease due to financial reasons, what can happen?
I gave 6 weeks notice. They kept my security and I received a bill today for rental insurance and they said more charges to follow. If I cannot pay in full will this affect my credit and could they take me to court?
Asked on December 23, 2011 under Real Estate Law, New Hampshire
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
If you terminated your lease with time left on it without a justifiable basis, the landlord can very well file a legal action against you for the monthly rent owed multiplied by the number of months left on the lease, plus late fees, pre-judgment interest, costs of suit, attorneys fees and any other damages.
However, the landlord is under an affirmative obligation to mitigate his or her damages by trying to rent out the unit you had. If the landlord is able to get a higher monthly rental from some other person, he or she will not have much claim for damages. if the amount is less than what you are under contract to pay, then the damages would be the difference between what you agreed to and the new lease multiplied by the number of months.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.