Please help me phrase this request to my landlord...
July 1, 2013 3:27 PM Subscribe
So, most of the previous AskMes have had to do with either crazy landlords or desperate situations, and I have neither. But I need to ask my rental company if they'll let me out of my lease 30 days early, and I'm not sure how to phrase this.
I've rented a new place with a lease that starts 2 months before my old one ends. I am not going to try and get out of TWO months' rent at my old place (I like having a month of overlap in which to paint, clean, and move without panic). But if I can get out of the very last month, that would be super-awesome.
My lease stipulates a "to be determined" penalty, deducted from security deposit, if the apartment is vacated prior to the end of the lease, unless I have found a subletter.
I'm willing to pay the penalty, but I want it to be determined before I agree to it-- if it's going to be more than that last month's rent, then hell, I'll just pay the last month's rent and take my sweet sweet time moving.
So basically I want to ask my landlord for permission to leave early, but in a way that expresses "I'm totally not trying to stiff you, I do not want to stiff you at all, and whatever you decide will be fine with me but I'm so very nice and never ever late with rent, and I recommend you to all my friends, please do me a solid."
Anyone have a script they would suggest for this conversation?
Is there anything I haven't thought of to make this idea more palatable to the landlords? I do know they are renovating units as people move out--might it even help them to have an unoccupied unit early?
Thoughts? Similar experiences? This is in Illinois, if it matters, but when I reviewed my lease it didn't contain anything that seemed at odds with IL tenant law.
I've rented a new place with a lease that starts 2 months before my old one ends. I am not going to try and get out of TWO months' rent at my old place (I like having a month of overlap in which to paint, clean, and move without panic). But if I can get out of the very last month, that would be super-awesome.
My lease stipulates a "to be determined" penalty, deducted from security deposit, if the apartment is vacated prior to the end of the lease, unless I have found a subletter.
I'm willing to pay the penalty, but I want it to be determined before I agree to it-- if it's going to be more than that last month's rent, then hell, I'll just pay the last month's rent and take my sweet sweet time moving.
So basically I want to ask my landlord for permission to leave early, but in a way that expresses "I'm totally not trying to stiff you, I do not want to stiff you at all, and whatever you decide will be fine with me but I'm so very nice and never ever late with rent, and I recommend you to all my friends, please do me a solid."
Anyone have a script they would suggest for this conversation?
Is there anything I haven't thought of to make this idea more palatable to the landlords? I do know they are renovating units as people move out--might it even help them to have an unoccupied unit early?
Thoughts? Similar experiences? This is in Illinois, if it matters, but when I reviewed my lease it didn't contain anything that seemed at odds with IL tenant law.
"Hey, I'm not trying to stiff you, but here's my situation. If leaving early works for both of us, that's great. If it doesn't, I'll just go ahead and pay the final month's rent and take my time moving."
It may depend on whether this is some kind of faceless corporate thing, faceless corporate but with involved local management who has some leeway, or people you deal with on a regular basis.
It's not going to cost you anything to ask nicely.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:43 PM on July 1, 2013
It may depend on whether this is some kind of faceless corporate thing, faceless corporate but with involved local management who has some leeway, or people you deal with on a regular basis.
It's not going to cost you anything to ask nicely.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:43 PM on July 1, 2013
Ha ha I can't speak to your situation but back in the late 80s when I bought my first house WE needed to get out of the lease early. I called my landlord, and I told her that I see people all over the complex moving out in the dead of night and that I didn't want to do that. I told her that I have paid my rent early the entire time I was there and that I was asking for a favor. I heard her *sigh* and then say ok, but we had to allow them to show the apartment with little to no notice, which we did. They let us out and we even got our deposit back.
posted by brownrd at 3:46 PM on July 1, 2013
posted by brownrd at 3:46 PM on July 1, 2013
Do a little market research first. Depending on when your lease ends, it may actually be a good thing for the landlord if it means the place is vacant when apartments are most in demand. For example, if your lease is up in November the landlord may be super happy to have you leave in September instead.
Otherwise, just be polite but don't be a pushover. Give as much notice as you can, but I wouldn't even mention the deposit in your initial conversation; the landlord has to try to mitigate damages anyway.
posted by payoto at 3:50 PM on July 1, 2013
Otherwise, just be polite but don't be a pushover. Give as much notice as you can, but I wouldn't even mention the deposit in your initial conversation; the landlord has to try to mitigate damages anyway.
posted by payoto at 3:50 PM on July 1, 2013
Umm... why bother? You know there's going to be a penalty, and you're prepared to pay as much as that month's rent.
Just take your sweet old time moving out and move in to the new place whenever you like. You might give your landlord notice that you're moving out, but if you tell him that you're paying the month's rent, he's unlikely to care very much.
posted by valkyryn at 4:02 PM on July 1, 2013
Just take your sweet old time moving out and move in to the new place whenever you like. You might give your landlord notice that you're moving out, but if you tell him that you're paying the month's rent, he's unlikely to care very much.
posted by valkyryn at 4:02 PM on July 1, 2013
Why not find a subletter? It might be easier than you think to find a 1-month person who is moving into town and wants a base to look for a more permanent apartment. Even if you can't get the whole rent, it will probably be less than the penalty. Not clear from your question, but if the month in question is over the summer, I think you'll have even better luck.
posted by rainbowbrite at 6:04 PM on July 1, 2013
posted by rainbowbrite at 6:04 PM on July 1, 2013
"Hey, it looks like you're renovating apartments when people move out. If it would help, I could move out a month early."
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 8:43 PM on July 1, 2013
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 8:43 PM on July 1, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Sequence at 3:34 PM on July 1, 2013 [1 favorite]