If the lease doesn’t state this information, you may have a legal case for getting your deposit back.

Security deposit: Your lease agreement must state that your landlord can keep all or some of the security deposit if you break the lease early.

For example, a lease should state if you need to pay rent covering some or all of the remaining rent owed during the lease term if you don’t give sufficient notice.

Renter’s financial responsibilities: Your lease should clearly say what you must pay and when you must pay it.

Mandatory notice period: Your lease should state the number of days’ notice you need to give for early termination of the agreement.

Without this clause, your landlord may not have the right to withhold your security deposit. Most agreements have an early lease termination clause. What information should a lease agreement include?Ĭheck your lease agreement if you’re thinking about breaking your lease. Thus, many landlords use your security deposit to cover costs that come from your early departure. They’re not getting the cash flow they anticipated. No matter what good reason you have for breaking your lease, doing so means your landlord needs to find a new renter, deep-clean the property, and more. Maybe you even need to break up with a horrible roommate. Maybe you decide to move in with your partner in another apartment, or a break-up means you need to move out of your shared place. Maybe you find your dream job, but it’s in another state. But life can interfere with the best plans. Whether you sign a month-to-month agreement or a lease for a whole year, you agree to pay rent for that period of time. What happens when you break your lease early? However, every renter should know the details of why a landlord can keep a typically refundable rental deposit in these cases - and situations when renters can legally break their lease.

So, the simple answer to the question, “Can a landlord keep your security deposit if you break the lease?” is yes.

You leave the unit in a state that requires excessive cleaning.

Common reasons for a landlord to keep your security deposit include: While you’ll often get all or part of your security deposit back, certain situations do exist where landlords can legally withhold all or some of your security deposit funds. Typically equal to one or even two month’s rent, the security deposit acts as a backup for a landlord if their renter skips out on payments or damages the property. Security deposits are a constant when it comes to renting. Can a landlord keep your security deposit for breaking the lease? If you break your lease, do you lose your deposit? Can a landlord keep your deposit for breaking the lease if they make your unit uninhabitable? Here’s what every renter needs to know. Even if you think you know everything there is to know about your security deposit, one situation may come with new questions: breaking a lease early.

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