Q: What should I do if the tenant moves out earlier and refuses to pay the rent?
I had a tenant with a lease agreement in effect from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023. Recently, this tenant approached me, requesting to vacate the premises two months earlier than the agreed-upon end date because they had purchased a house with a closing date set for October 31, 2023. Their proposal was for me to allow them to owe the two months' rent for November and December.
In response, I informed the tenant that I was open to this arrangement on the condition that we find a new tenant to occupy the property immediately after their departure. If a new tenant is secured, the two months' rent (November and December) would be forgiven. However, if we are unable to find a replacement tenant, the tenant would be responsible for paying the rent for those two months.
We also discussed conducting a thorough inspection of the property to determine the necessary fixes or cleaning required before making any decisions regarding their security deposit.
A: Based on your post, if you want to go after the tenant for the unpaid rent, then you need to take the tenant to Court and seek a money judgment for the 2 months of unpaid rent.
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