AmI required to return rent money ifmy tenantshad a 1 year lease and left before their finalmonth was up?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
AmI required to return rent money ifmy tenantshad a 1 year lease and left before their finalmonth was up?
The utilities were transferred over to me mid-month.
Asked on August 5, 2011 Maine
Answers:
S.L,. Member, California Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
You don't have to return the rent money because the tenants remain liable for the rent for the balance of the term of the lease. However, if the place is re-rented before the end of the lease, that terminates the tenants' obligation to pay rent for the balance of the term. In that situation, you would have to return the rent money covering the period from the date of re-renting to the ending date of the lease with the former tenants. When the tenant moves out before the end of the lease, the landlord is required to make reasonable efforts to re-rent the premises and not allow it to remain vacant for the balance of the term of the lease or the landlord's damages will be reduced accordingly. In your situation, since only a few weeks remain in the term of the lease, it is unreasonable to expect that you would be able to find another tenant so soon.
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.