You may want to review landlord-tenant law in your state. You can probably find this on-line. It will outline the circumstances under which you are allowed to break a lease, and what penalties apply. In my state, the exiting tenant is responsible for the remainder of the lease or until the landlord is able to re-lease the property.
Sewgirl, if your Mom had developed a medical issue after she had moved to her current apartment where she is unable to walk up many flights of stairs to get to her apartment, maybe she can get a note from her doctor saying she can no longer walk up or down stairs, maybe the landlord would take that into consideration.
The landlord still has the right to say no to breaking the lease, unless the landlord has a waiting list of new tenants willing to pay a higher monthly rate on the unit. It can't hurt to try.
A lot depends on how often does a unit become available in the adult housing for your Mom.
She is obviously not good at handling money or making good decisions. Maybe it is time to seek Guardianship. Even subsidized rent, with utilities is 30% of her income. Figure it out. Is she spending wisely?
If she breaks the lease she will lose the security. If she leases from a management company, it is hard to expect "special" treatment, because everyone that wants to break a lease has sob story. If she rents from an individual and the apartment is easy to rent, the landlord may give you a break. If the latter is the case, be up front, and helpful....clean the place well, make it rentable, maybe even help show it before she moves out.
Either way, deal with it ASAP, else the debt just keeps adding up.
Curious, when your Mother had signed the lease, apparently she qualified to rent said apartment, what had changed in her life that now makes it difficult for her to afford this place? Fixed income stays the same.... 1 year lease stays the same. Was she not budgeting her income and now in debt?
If your Mom breaks her lease she will lose her security deposit, and depending on the lease, she could still be responsible for the rent until a new tenant is found. How far into this lease is she?
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The landlord still has the right to say no to breaking the lease, unless the landlord has a waiting list of new tenants willing to pay a higher monthly rate on the unit. It can't hurt to try.
A lot depends on how often does a unit become available in the adult housing for your Mom.
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Either way, deal with it ASAP, else the debt just keeps adding up.
If your Mom breaks her lease she will lose her security deposit, and depending on the lease, she could still be responsible for the rent until a new tenant is found. How far into this lease is she?