How to Break a Lease Early – realestate. Can I Break my lease? Is there a fee for breaking a lease in Australia? What are the consequences of illegally breaking a lease?
Breaking a lease on the grounds of hardship or by giving up possession can be costly. The landlord can claim compensation for any reasonable costs they have to pay as a result of you breaking the lease.
The costs you could be liable for include: a reletting fee (usually one or two weeks’ rent). Ending a lease or residency. If the tenant or resident wants to leave.
Transferring the bond from one tenant to another. Claiming the bond – tenants and residents. Releasing or claiming the bond – landlords and owners. Uncollected or uncashed rental bonds.
If you break a long-term lease – that is, it did not end early by mutual agreement or a VCAT order on hardship grounds – the landlord can ask you to pay one month’s rent for every full year remaining on the lease. This is capped at six years, so the maximum amount the landlord can ask for is six months’ rent.
This is based on the rent amount you were paying when you broke the lease. (more…)