Detroit, MI asked in Contracts and Landlord - Tenant for Wisconsin

Q: Can a landlord in wisconsin deny a tenant to break a lease?

I am looking to break my lease in Wisconsin but my landlord is saying that my only option is to sublease and that I cannot break my lease

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1 Lawyer Answer
Jason Anthony Greller
Jason Anthony Greller
Answered
  • Landlord Tenant Lawyer
  • Madison, WI
  • Licensed in Wisconsin

A: A tenant may choose to break the lease. The landlord is then under a duty to mitigate damages - essentially to try to re-rent the unit. The tenant may then be held liable for the months in which no rent was collected from the tenant or the new tenant, the difference between the new tenant's rent and the original tenant's rent and other costs of remarketing the property. In short, you always have the option to break a lease but that doesn't mean that you are not responsible for damages resulting from that breach. Working with the landlord to obtain a subletter may not be a bad idea because it may allow you to have more control over the total damages.

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