Job Relocation from NY to WA/Lease Termination

[Eileen5]

The company I work for went through a major reorganization, and as a result my job was relocated from New York to our company headquarters in Seattle, WA. I signed a 2 year lease in New York City in September of 2007. I sent notice to my landlord by certified letter outlining the change in job, including a letter from our HR department confirming that my job was being relocated out of state.

The landlord responded saying that they would start showing the apartment, but that I would be responsible for the lease until it is rented by a new tenant. I expected that I would lose my two month rent deposit to give them time to put out the vacancy notice and find a new tenant. I gave notice in late September of 2008, paid for the October rent and moved out in October, and just checked back with the landlord to check on the rental status. It still has not rented despite it being a great building and in a very desirable location. I am not sure if effort is being put into finding a new tenant by the landlord.

I have read in another post that the courts generally give the landlord/owner two months to find a new tenant in a situation such as this. I am concerned that it has not rented yet, and do not want to be facing paying the rent for an apartment for another 9 months as I am now living in Seattle. Are there any cases or tenant laws that relate to lease terminations for tenants moving out of state for job relocation, or for the 2 month period the courts usually allow a landlord to find a new renter?

 

[Gail_in_Georgia]

No; there are no laws that allow a tenant to get out of a lease because of a job relocation.

And the two month period is only an estimate.

Your problem may be (and I've been reading quite a bit about this on landlord sites) is that in many parts of the country, it's a lousy time to find a tenant. Many landlords are reporting that empty units that took only weeks to fill are now taking months.

Might be the time of the year, might be the poor economy, might be the fact that the market may be bloated with homeowners attempting to rent their homes rather than face foreclosures.

At any rate, you would, unfortunately, still be reponsible for the rent on the unit in New York until it is rerented. Maintain contact with the management so they can notify you when this (hopefully soon!) takes place.

Gail

 

[Duranie]

There is no law that states this company has to let you out of your lease. You do not have to move, you can stay and find another job. You should try and find another tenant, maybe work out some deal with them but you could still be onthe hook until your unitis rented. In many parts of the country there are many vacancies and if your complex has other units that are vacant longer than yours, they will fill theirs first. You might want to look into subletting and finding a tenant but I would expect unless you agree to pay 100.00 a month of their rent, you may have a tough time finding a replacement if your complex has alot of openings.