Austin, TX asked in Car Accidents, Landlord - Tenant and Civil Litigation for Texas

Q: My car was involved in a hit-and-run inside the apartment complex parking lot where I am renting. What are my rights?

I requested to break my lease and they are trying to force me to sign a release form within 72 hours and I don't understand what the form it means. I told them I would prefer to have a lawyer review it prior to signing.

1 Lawyer Answer

A: Barring very unusual language in your lease, you likely do not have the legal right to break your lease. You do, however, have the legal right to refuse to sign a release.

Your landlord can choose to allow you to break your lease, but is not legally required to do so, and may require you to pay a penalty or sign a release as a condition of agreeing to let you break your lease.

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.