How much does it cost to break a lease?
Breaking a lease can cost anything from a fixed early-termination fee to all the rent left on the lease; how fast the unit is re-rented usually decides where you land. Compare your options below.
Early-termination fee in your lease
Enter your rent and the months left to compare what breaking the lease could cost.
How to break a lease cheaply
- 1
Read the clause
Find early termination, subletting and notice in your lease.
- 2
Give written notice
Date it, keep a copy, deliver it the way the lease says.
- 3
Offer a replacement
Bring a tenant or propose a buyout. Get any deal in writing.
- 4
Document move-out
Photos, key return, forwarding address, written receipt.
Does your landlord have to re-rent?
Many states require landlords to try to re-rent ("duty to mitigate"); check your state's law. Some states also give domestic violence survivors early-termination rights; see your state's page.
Active-duty military: federal early termination
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, 50 U.S.C. § 3955
Who
A servicemember who enters military service during the lease, or who signs a lease in service and then gets permanent change of station orders or orders to deploy for 90 days or more.
How
Deliver written notice plus a copy of the military orders to the landlord or the landlord's agent (hand, private carrier, mail with return receipt, or electronic).
When it ends
For monthly rent, termination takes effect 30 days after the first date the next rent payment is due after the notice is delivered.
What you owe
The landlord may not impose an early termination charge. Unpaid rent before the effective date is prorated, and prepaid rent after it is refunded.
Summary of the statute text; read the full section for exceptions, other lease types and stop-movement orders.
Break lease FAQ
How much does it cost to break a lease?
It ranges from a fixed early-termination fee (often one to two months' rent, if your lease has one) to all the rent left on the lease. In between, many tenants pay rent until the landlord finds a new tenant, plus any re-letting costs. Enter your numbers above to compare.
What is an early-termination fee (ETF)?
A clause in some leases that lets you leave early for a set price, either a flat dollar amount or a number of months' rent. Check whether yours also requires notice, and whether it says you stop owing rent once you pay.
What is the duty to mitigate?
Many states require a landlord to make reasonable efforts to re-rent the unit after you leave, so you owe rent only until a new tenant starts rather than for the whole term. Rules differ by state; pick your state above to see its page.
Can I use my security deposit to cover the cost?
A landlord may apply a deposit toward what you owe, but that depends on your lease and state law. Do not assume you can tell the landlord to keep it instead of paying. The calculator shows the amount left after the deposit as simple subtraction.
Is subletting or finding a replacement tenant cheaper?
Often, because rent stops sooner. Most leases need the landlord's written approval of the new tenant, and some forbid subletting, so read the clause and ask in writing. An assignment may release you from the lease, while a sublet usually leaves you responsible.
Can I break my lease for free in some situations?
Some situations can end a lease early without the usual cost, such as active-duty military orders under federal law (see the military section above), and in some states domestic violence survivors or serious habitability failures. Check your state's page and the lease itself.
Check what your lease actually says about early termination
Upload it and we flag the fee, notice and sublet clauses that may not hold up in your state.
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General information only, not legal advice. Figures are simple arithmetic on the numbers you enter; your lease and state law decide what you actually owe.