how can college students like us get out of this apartment contract

[skim milk]

we have been living in this apartment for 2 years and we need to move. How can they tell us there is no way to get out of the contract if we need to move?
We put up some ads to sublease this place but no bites so we are getting worried.

Please offer advice on how to get out without paying a enormous fee or anything

please help

 

[isekii]

The only way is for them to kick you out.

Throw real loud ass parties.
That'll teach em.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: isekii
The only way is for them to kick you out.

Throw real loud ass parties.
That'll teach em.

They'll still charge them. You're going to have sub-lease until your lease is up. That's pretty standard.

How can they tell us there is no way to get out of the contract if we need to move?

Because you signed a contract that stipulated the terms of your lease. It's a legal agreement that both you and the apartment are held to.

 

[BigToque]

First, talk to your landlord. See if they'll help you out. If you've had a good relationship with them, I doubt they'd be hard to deal with.

If they are going to be a PITA and you can't find someone to sublet, then just pay the final 3 months rent and be done with it.

 

[DaveSimmons]

You almost certainly got a discount on the monthly rent for signing a year lease. If you leave early you're no longer entitled to that discount, which over 9 months might add up to close to the 3 months rent.

If you've asked politely if you could leave early by paying something like one of the 3 months, and the manager / owner said no there isn't much you can do.

Read your lease agreement carefully and see what it says. Your state might require them to let you stop paying after they re-rent the place, but asking for the money might trigger the higher month-to-month rate and get you little or nothing.

 

[skim milk]

Originally posted by: Stefan
First, talk to your landlord. See if they'll help you out. If you've had a good relationship with them, I doubt they'd be hard to deal with.

If they are going to be a PITA and you can't find someone to sublet, then just pay the final 3 months rent and be done with it.

3 months rent is $3000
We don't have that kind of money... 1,500 for each of us.

I know we signed the contract one year in advance, we had no clue if we were going to move out of state at the end of the semester.... this is bullcrap. This is a college town, there;s such a high turnover rate that I figured they were willing to work something out for students either graduating early, leaving for internships, moving away, transferring, etc.

 

[skim milk]

Originally posted by: Stefan
First, talk to your landlord. See if they'll help you out. If you've had a good relationship with them, I doubt they'd be hard to deal with.

If they are going to be a PITA and you can't find someone to sublet, then just pay the final 3 months rent and be done with it.

alsao, the apartment is part of a huge development company.. so no one gets to know the landlord personally. Maybe the office staffs but they can't help out in any way.

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: fritolays

Originally posted by: Stefan
First, talk to your landlord. See if they'll help you out. If you've had a good relationship with them, I doubt they'd be hard to deal with.

If they are going to be a PITA and you can't find someone to sublet, then just pay the final 3 months rent and be done with it.

3 months rent is $3000
We don't have that kind of money... 1,500 for each of us.

I know we signed the contract one year in advance, we had no clue if we were going to move out of state at the end of the semester.... this is bullcrap. This is a college town, there;s such a high turnover rate that I figured they were willing to work something out for students either graduating early, leaving for internships, moving away, transferring, etc.

It's probably due to the high turn over that they want people signing contracts to guarantee a lease to a certain date. What you're thinking of doing is exactly why people sign leases in the first place.

 

[imthebadguy]

get a lawyer, my friends brore a one year lease befor even moving in....i was supposed to be non cancelable too

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: fritolays
I know we signed the contract one year in advance, we had no clue if we were going to move out of state at the end of the semester.... this is bullcrap. This is a college town, there;s such a high turnover rate that I figured they were willing to work something out for students either graduating early, leaving for internships, moving away, transferring, etc.

Welcome to the real world. Push for a sub-lease even if it means the sub-leasee paying slightly less than what you paid if you are desperate to rent out the apartment.

 

[StageLeft]

I know we signed the contract one year in advance, we had no clue if we were going to move out of state at the end of the semester.... this is bullcrap. This is a college town, there;s such a high turnover rate that I figured they were willing to work something out for students either graduating early, leaving for internships, moving away, transferring, etc.

In short, it was a mistake you won't make again. Why would they work things out? Since you aren't getting any bites, it seems that they are also likely to have problems keeping it full during the summer. Your best way out is to probably sublet at a major loss and pay the difference yourself. I remember with my university town, the sublet prices in the summer were rock-bottom, but that's how it goes in such places.

 

[J0hnny]

Originally posted by: fritolays

Originally posted by: Stefan
First, talk to your landlord. See if they'll help you out. If you've had a good relationship with them, I doubt they'd be hard to deal with.

If they are going to be a PITA and you can't find someone to sublet, then just pay the final 3 months rent and be done with it.

3 months rent is $3000
We don't have that kind of money... 1,500 for each of us.

I know we signed the contract one year in advance, we had no clue if we were going to move out of state at the end of the semester.... this is bullcrap. This is a college town, there;s such a high turnover rate that I figured they were willing to work something out for students either graduating early, leaving for internships, moving away, transferring, etc.

Sorry, no sympathy on my end. Looks like you should have done better planning before putting you John Hancock on that lease.

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: fritolays

Originally posted by: Stefan
First, talk to your landlord. See if they'll help you out. If you've had a good relationship with them, I doubt they'd be hard to deal with.

If they are going to be a PITA and you can't find someone to sublet, then just pay the final 3 months rent and be done with it.

3 months rent is $3000
We don't have that kind of money... 1,500 for each of us.

I know we signed the contract one year in advance, we had no clue if we were going to move out of state at the end of the semester.... this is bullcrap. This is a college town, there;s such a high turnover rate that I figured they were willing to work something out for students either graduating early, leaving for internships, moving away, transferring, etc.

Yea really. It's bullcrap that someone expects you to own up to your end of a legal contract that you willingly entered.

:roll:

Grow the fvck up.

 

[skim milk]

I agree completely that it was my first time living off campus and made stupid mistakes...

the office told us if it is a "real emergency that they can inform the corporate office and work something out" or something along those lines, anyone know what a real emergency constitutes?

 

[Queasy]

For what it is worth. You'll get more sub-lease bites as it gets nearer to the end of the semester. Just keep your adverts out there.

 

[ggnl]

Originally posted by: fritolays

Originally posted by: Stefan
First, talk to your landlord. See if they'll help you out. If you've had a good relationship with them, I doubt they'd be hard to deal with.

If they are going to be a PITA and you can't find someone to sublet, then just pay the final 3 months rent and be done with it.

3 months rent is $3000
We don't have that kind of money... 1,500 for each of us.

I know we signed the contract one year in advance, we had no clue if we were going to move out of state at the end of the semester.... this is bullcrap. This is a college town, there;s such a high turnover rate that I figured they were willing to work something out for students either graduating early, leaving for internships, moving away, transferring, etc.

It's not bullcrap, it's the same deal you're going to get at any other apartment complex in the country, and it's laid out very clearly in the lease agreement that you signed but probably never read.

Try to sublease the apartment. If you can't, then you've just learned a very expensive lesson about signing contracts without understanding the terms.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: fritolays
I agree completely that it was my first time living off campus and made stupid mistakes...

the office told us if it is a "real emergency that they can inform the corporate office and work something out" or something along those lines, anyone know what a real emergency constitutes?

Ask the office and/or check your lease to see what a real emergency constitutes. I can pretty much guarantee that your situation will not constitute a real emergency though.

 

[StageLeft]

the office told us if it is a "real emergency that they can inform the corporate office and work something out" or something along those lines, anyone know what a real emergency constitutes?

Somebody dying, illness, etc., not "we're moving and don't want to pay anymore".

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: fritolays
I agree completely that it was my first time living off campus and made stupid mistakes...

the office told us if it is a "real emergency that they can inform the corporate office and work something out" or something along those lines, anyone know what a real emergency constitutes?

Your mom dying and you having to move back home. Or some kind of large legal/medical expense comes up.

Graduating is NOT an emergency

 

[TheNinja]

Originally posted by: fritolays

Originally posted by: Stefan
First, talk to your landlord. See if they'll help you out. If you've had a good relationship with them, I doubt they'd be hard to deal with.

If they are going to be a PITA and you can't find someone to sublet, then just pay the final 3 months rent and be done with it.

3 months rent is $3000
We don't have that kind of money... 1,500 for each of us.

I know we signed the contract one year in advance, we had no clue if we were going to move out of state at the end of the semester.... this is bullcrap. This is a college town, there;s such a high turnover rate that I figured they were willing to work something out for students either graduating early, leaving for internships, moving away, transferring, etc.

I know that sucks but you shouldn't have signed a 1-year lease if you didn't know you were going to move. You should have gone for a month to month (which usually gives you a higher rent rate but gives you flexibility). Typically the lease will say "1 year or until the apartment is rented". But here's the thing. If there are other open apartments in the complex, why would the manager rent out your place if he's already getting money from you when he can rent a different one? This same thing happend to me and I had to sub-lease at a loss for a few months. It sucks but that's the way it is. Oh and you might not want to tell your landlord you are sub-leasing...sometimes this is not allowed, look at your contract to see.

 

[Bryophyte]

If they get new tenants right away, you won't owe them rent. They can't collect rent twice on the same place (they can't claim they lost money on the place if they don't actually lose money.) I'm pretty sure that's the law through most of the country. I'd be willing to bet you won't have to pay all 3 months, maybe 1.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Bryophyte
If they get new tenants right away, you won't owe them rent. They can't collect rent twice on the same place (they can't claim they lost money on the place if they don't actually lose money.) I'm pretty sure that's the law through most of the country. I'd be willing to bet you won't have to pay all 3 months, maybe 1.

If that is indeed law, it's exceptionally likely that they will have vacancies during the summer months, if it's a town that relies heavily upon college students, and as mentioned above, they would rent his room out last.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: Bryophyte
If they get new tenants right away, you won't owe them rent. They can't collect rent twice on the same place (they can't claim they lost money on the place if they don't actually lose money.) I'm pretty sure that's the law through most of the country. I'd be willing to bet you won't have to pay all 3 months, maybe 1.

Generally yeah, but that sort of depends on the demand for the place. And having no bites on the place so far doesn't really sound great.

The land lord is legally required to make their best effort to rent the place as quickly as possible if you break the lease (here at least) although, my thoughts are...good luck proving it if they don't.

 

[shopbruin]

READ YOUR LEASE.

i lived in one building with the nicest manager known to mankind. he said that the lease could be broken AND your security deposit return if someone could be found to rent the apt within 30 days. otherwise, if you leave early, and they don't find someone within 30 days, i just would have lost my security deposit.

if your lease has this provision, you might want to take this route as losing your security deposit is cheaper than paying the last 3 months, and less of a hassle of trying to sublet. also some managers in college towns are anal about subletters, as there usually tend to be problems with the new tenants never paying.

 

[spacejamz]

yet another example of the future of our country not wanting to own up to their responsiblity and trying to find the easy way out...

see what happens when you get rid of corporal punishment at school? :roll:

Honestly trying not be sterotypical because there are alot of people who do own up to their word (as evidenced by some of the posters in this thread), but jeez....