Hi,
I was supposed to move to Redmond, WA from Arkansas for new job in second week of March 2020. I joined my new place of work in first week of March 2020 and had already initiated leasing process for apartment and signed the lease which started on March 9th 2020 in Redmond, WA, I have already paid the rent for the month of March 2020. At the same there was major COVID-19 outbreak in Redmond, WA area due to which I had to cancel my plans to move to Redmond, WA. I didn't move in the apartment instead just took keys from the leasing manager and in the second week of March I had to cancel the plans for moving to Redmond area. Now the apartment leasing office is asking me to pay the 50% of lease breakage amount of $1500 (initially they were asking full amount of $3K). What's my recourse in this situation given that I didn't lived or ever moved in the apartment.
Expert opinions will be much appreciated.
Thanks
It is reasonable to pay 1 to 2 months rent to cancel a lease. If you had moved in and were flexible about moving out, you could take steps to reduce costs.
You might also invest in a consultation to discuss other options, but someone needs to read the lease and ask questions to provide meaningful advice. That probably would cost $500 at the cheapest, and you end up in the same place.
You can negotiate the fee or ask to make payments if you are financially strapped, but don’t ignore the situation, as that could trigger more costs, hurt your credit, and make it harder to rent your next place.
