Detroit, MI asked in Real Estate Law and Landlord - Tenant for Michigan

Q: I used to work with my uncle and his friend and they decided to open a smoke shop and they Told me that if I let them us

I used to work with my uncle and his friend and they decided to open a smoke shop and they Told me that if I let them use my name to open the store and put the lease under my name and my uncles son name ( my cousin ) too at the same time they would let me get 35% of the store I trusted them bc they are close people but before opening the store in like a week I realized that the store won’t do good bc of the location so I took my name out of the business but the lease is still under my name and my cousin then I called the landlord and place owner I told them I wanna take my name out of the lease but my cousin name will still be there they told me I have to pay 1600$ for that to take my name out of the lease but I will still be responsible for the rent and everything I don’t understand how I will still be responsible for anything when I took my name out of the lease am I not educated enough to understand it or am I getting finessed?

1 Lawyer Answer
David Soble
PREMIUM
Answered

A: If your name is on a lease, then the only person who can agree to let you out early from the lease is, the landlord, and not your business/ family partners. Only the parties to the lease can agree to modify or change the lease terms, including releasing a party from their legal obligations.

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