Anyone here ever break a lease? (please read before commenting)

[NCTraveler]

67. I would recommend.

Each state is different. You need to see what your state allows. There are a couple of things that you as a renter can do that will normally scare an owner into letting you out of your lease without repercussion as long as your claim has merit.

1) Most counties in Florida offer free testing for mold in the interior of homes. They will come in and take air/wood/paper samples and deliver a report to you. Black mold is a serious risk. No owner wants this report done. If elevated levels of black mold are detected the costs to take care of the problem can be huge. If an owner feels there is black mold in the property this alone might be enough for them to let you out of the lease. They do not want it on county records, they do not want it to find its way to the courts.

2) You said you have a lease. The structure for water payments should be in there. I have never seen a lease where that is not covered.

3) In Florida, you can pay your rent, with a complaint letter, to the clerk of the courts. This money will be held by the court system until you get a hearing in front of a judge. If the mold test is done before you pay to the clerk it will work greatly in your favor. Once again, no property owner will want to go through this. The threat alone will most likely be enough to get you out of your lease with no repercussions.

You are suffering many hardships due to neglect by the owner. You need to read your lease carefully. Leases will state what the owners responsibilities are.

I would advise you not to just stop paying rent. This gives the owner the opportunity to file for eviction and gives them some ammo. With all you have said, it would seem that you should be able to get out of your lease with well written letters. I am saying this without reading the lease. If the water payment structure is not in the lease I can only imagine that it was written with nothing but the owners interests in mind and that it is not a standard lease. Google "renters rights" and the state you live in. All states have renters rights laws. You can normally also find great information on the websites of how to deal with an abusive owner. It is a difficult question because all states are different.