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Late on rent? You’ll want to pay up as quickly as possible and take steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Although being late on rent most likely won’t result in the loss of your apartment, you definitely don’t want to make it a habit. It could result in late fees, a very upset landlord, and at worst, eviction. Here are some tips to help you out if you’re late on rent.

Check Your Apartment Lease

Every apartment lease will have a section about late rent. When you find an apartment, it’s a good idea to ask questions about the lease and go over the sections, not forgetting the one about late rent. The lease should clearly state any late fees and on what past-due date they will be charged. These late fees are there for a reason: to motivate residents to pay rent on time. Every lease is different, but sometimes apartments will only charge late fees after the rent is a certain amount of days late. Still, don’t let this make you think you have a few extra days past the due date to pay — rent is due on or before that due date, which is typically the first of the month.

If you’re not paying on time, it’s late — and your landlord could start taking steps to evict you. If necessary, you may want to consider legal assistance in this situation.

Pay Your Rent

You should pay your rent on or before its due date. Keep in mind that your landlord is probably just like you: He or she has bills to pay and needs to pay them on time. Receiving late rent could cause them to be late on their mortgage or other bills, thus incurring late fees. If you’ve been late on rent to the point that you’ve incurred fees, don’t forget to pay those on time, too.

Pay Your Rent On Time Every Time

Take steps to make sure you’ll be able to pay your rent on time every time. You’ll have to examine your budget and your own situation, but some ideas to help you could include setting reminders on a calendar, or even getting a roommate to help cover costs.

Late Rent: A Disclaimer

This article is just meant to make our readers aware of some things that come along with being late on rent — we are not lawyers, and laws regarding tenants and leases vary from state to state. We stress always paying rent on time, and seek legal advice if needed. You can also use the government’s Housing and Urban Development website to research your situation.

Breaking a lease is never something you want to do casually. A lease is a legal contract, and once it’s signed, breaking a lease puts you at the mercy of any terms, penalties or time limits that the lease contains. You could even be sued for it.

Still, if your apartment maintenance is abysmal, or if you have to leave town for family reasons or a job relocation, there’s no alternative to breaking a lease. So what now?

Planning Prevents Lease-Breaking

You should always have good apartment lease questions and a sound idea of your future plans before signing a lease. If you know that you may be accepted to grad school and suddenly forced into the market for Delaware apartments, you should look for a short-duration setup so you won’t end up breaking your current lease on the way out.

If you absolutely can’t find an apartment with a term short enough, look for a situation where breaking a lease won’t break your back. Lease terms vary greatly from one landlord to the next; some penalties for breaking a lease are minor and others catastrophic. For example, it’s not uncommon to be charged most of a month’s rent for breaking a lease – and then still be on the hook for all rent until the landlord finds a new lessee. Breaking a lease with such a clause in a slow rental market could cost you thousands.

Resources to Use When Breaking a Lease

If you’re already on the hook, you’re not alone in your predicament. Do a web search for local tenants rights unions, or research your situation at the government’s Housing and Urban Development website. If you’re uncomfortable with the legalese you run into while breaking a lease, hire a lawyer. Lawyers are pricey, but losing a lawsuit over your lease is pricier.

Know the Issues That Can Break a Lease

The lease works both ways, guaranteeing the landlord some things and guaranteeing you others. The latter promises may work in your favor, allowing you to break the lease without penalty. Some possible exit strategies include:

• Apartment maintenance: If you have a documented history of maintenance negligence, and you’ve given your landlord or apartment management opportunity to fix them to no avail, they are in violation of the lease.
• Water, heat, and air conditioning: Like apartment maintenance issues, lack of essential utilities can be your exit when you’re forced into breaking a lease.
• Sublet or find a suitable replacement: Before breaking a lease, check to see if you can find someone to take your place.
• Pay it off: If you’re near the end of your term, continuing to pay rent may be cheaper than breaking the lease. If you can’t stand the apartment, you can always find a new apartment and live there while the old lease expires.
• Communicate: If you’ve got a new place lined up and breaking the lease with penalties is the only solution, talk to your apartment manager about the situation. For all you know, your breaking the lease might make it easier for them to do renovations or move in a new long-term tenant. Maybe you can offer to pay a few month’s rent in exchange for not being held liable for any trouble they have filling your vacancy. If you can come to an agreement, though, make sure to get it in writing!

Lease-Breaking: A Disclaimer

Of course, before you go breaking a lease, get some legal advice. We’re not lawyers here and this article is just intended to make you aware of some of your options should you be forced into breaking a lease. The law varies from location to location. Be aware of your obligations before you commit to breaking a lease.

Also, be aware that breaking a lease still requires you to give notice of termination. If you break the lease by hightailing it without talking to your apartment manager, and your lease automatically renews, you may find yourself legally responsible for another term of that danged lease.

Lastly, before breaking a lease, make sure you have an alternate destination. You’d hate to break your lease only to find yourself without a place to sleep!