Q: I may be moving interstate with 9m left on lease. Landlord said I have to pay the whole 9m on leaving. Is that legal?
So I may have to pay $7,450 on leaving? What happens if they lease it out in 1 month?
A: Technically, yes. However, in practice, most judges will require a landlord to show good faith in marketing and reletting the property to a new tenant, and generally a landlord is given 2-3 months for this purpose (some exceptions permitted for exceptional circumstances). Courts will usually restrict a landlord's recovery to that amount of time when making a determination of rent owed. You should also check your lease, because it may contain a buyout provision which specifically states the number of months you will owe if you break the lease early.
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