Breaking lease?

Question

I am renting a duplex in an awful neighborhood. The people acrss the street play music all hours of the night, the guy in the duplex beside us plays music all the time and this past weekend I returned home to about 5 big black guys smoking drugs on the front porch, should have called cops but didtn want to cause trouble or for them to come after me. I do not feel safe living there anymore. Bums are always walking through our back yard, people knock and bang on our doors at all hours of the night. We want to move out by Aug 1. We already have another place to go... just wondering how we should approach landlord and tell them we are leaving!! I have read over our lease and no where do I see anything about breaking lease early. We are not worried about getting back deposit, they can keep it, we just want out!!! Advice please....

Answer 1

The deposit should be the least of your worries.  The landlord will most likely sue you for breach of lease....then you will be responsible for the balance of the lease, court costs and attorney fees.  It is the tenants responsibility to research the area BEFORE the lease is signed.  Everything you state is not grounds to break a lease.

Answer 2

Just tell them what you stated above - you cannot stay there, it is not safe or appealing to you in any way. You are sorry that you are leaving before the lease is up but you have no choice. If they press the issue or threaten to take you to court for breaking the lease tell them to 'go ahead' you just need to make written dates/time records of the incidences you've seen and you'll be fine. AND most times people threaten court and never follow through as its a big long drawn out process. (I've take an contractor to court for leaving the job, won the case, and still have not gotten a penny - its NOT easy) so I feel you have a VERY valid reason to GET OUT OF THERE - and in the long run no matter what happens you'll be better off somewhere else!