If I signed a rental lease but found problems with the house on move-in day, can I cancel the lease because I dont want to go thur the hassel of all the repairs?
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If I signed a rental lease but found problems with the house on move-in day, can I cancel the lease because I dont want to go thur the hassel of all the repairs?
I don’t want to go through the hassel of all the repairs. Wil I still get my deposit and security money back? And how many days so I have to do so?
Asked on September 19, 2012 under Real Estate Law, Florida
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
If the house is in materially worse shape (that is, worse in a significant way) on move-in day than when you'd looked at it prior to signing the lease (assuming you did look at it), that might provide grounds to terminate the lease without penalty. Or if the house has conditions that make it not safe for residence or inhabitation, or not fit to be used as a residence (e.g. no hot water), that might let you terminate the lease if the landlord does not promptly, after notice, remedy the situation. Or if the landlord actively lied to you about the shape the house was in, or concealed major problems, that might allow you to terminate the lease.
But if there are problems that do not affect habitability, the landlord did not lie, and there has been no significant change in the shape the home is in between when you signed the lease and now, you would still be bound by the lease. Not wanting to go through the hassle of repairs is not grounds, by itself, to terminate a lease.
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