Early Lease Termination Laws by State

Only in certain situations. A lease clause, a written agreement with the landlord, or a state or federal statute can let you end the lease early. Otherwise you may owe rent for the remaining term, reduced by any rent the landlord collects from a new tenant where the landlord must mitigate.

Yes. The SCRA is federal law and lets qualifying servicemembers end a residential lease after entering military service or receiving qualifying deployment or permanent change of station orders, with written notice and a copy of the orders. Some states add their own protections, for example for National Guard members on state duty.

It depends on the state. Statutes that grant this right typically require written notice and one or more forms of documentation, such as a protective order, a police report, or a statement from a qualified third party like a victim advocate or health professional. Notice periods and deadlines also vary.

It means the landlord must make reasonable efforts to re-rent the unit after a tenant leaves early instead of leaving it empty and charging the departed tenant for the full remaining term. In places with this duty, the tenant generally owes only the rent lost before a new tenant moves in, plus reasonable re-letting costs.

Statutory early termination rights are usually protections that a lease cannot waive. Check the specific statute for your state, since some allow a lease to set conditions such as how notice must be delivered.

Of the 41 jurisdictions we checked, the answer is yes in 35 jurisdictions, in some cases in 2, no in 4. Yes: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. In some cases: Louisiana and Missouri.

Of the 16 jurisdictions we checked, the answer is yes in 15 jurisdictions, in some cases in 1, no in 0. Yes: California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Virginia and Washington. In some cases: Arizona.

Of the 14 jurisdictions we checked, the answer is yes in 7 jurisdictions, no in 7. Yes: Delaware, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey and New York.

Of the 29 jurisdictions we checked, the answer is yes in 26 jurisdictions, in some cases in 2, no in 1. Yes: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. In some cases: Kentucky and Tennessee.