That's what I was thinking. But the renter still has to remove his belongings.
You can't just leave your stuff there and move in with relatives, and expect the owner to have to deal with all the belongings left by renters. Will he be sued if he trashes everything, including grandma's old watch?
As for becoming uninhabitable, it depends on what the lease says. Since this is Houston, there may be a flood clause.
The owner can't fix the apartments with all those belongings still in there. If a renter is abandoning an apartment, they have to remove their stuff, or leave everything to be thrown away (and expect to get a judgment against them for the cost of removing their belongings).
The owner has problems, too. He needs the income from those apartments, and is stuck when he has renters who wll neither pay nor remove their belongings so the owner can fix it up and rent it again.
Each of us is responsible for taking care of our belongings in the event of a flood. It's tough on everyone.
Kick in to the DU tip jar?
This week we're running a special pop-up mini fund drive. From Monday through Friday we're going ad-free for all registered members, and we're asking you to kick in to the DU tip jar to support the site and keep us financially healthy.
As a bonus, making a contribution will allow you to leave kudos for another DU member, and at the end of the week we'll recognize the DUers who you think make this community great.