Signed a lease together 6 months before she asked for a divorce

My ex and I signed a 12-month lease on a nice place in Austin last November, thinking we were finally getting our act together. By May she was sleeping on the couch and served me papers. I was stuck paying $1,400 a month for an apartment I couldn't stand to be in. Has anyone else had to deal with breaking a joint lease after the split? What did you do about the fees?

3 comments

3 Comments

uma6851mo ago

Read something online where a guy just gave his ex the keys and told the landlord she was taking over, but the landlord didn't care and came after both of them. Ended up paying a lawyer $500 to write a release letter that got him off the lease. Might be worth checking if your lease has a buyout clause too, some places let you pay a couple months rent to walk away clean.

elizabeth9001mo ago

Oh did your lease have a buyout clause? Mine did and I had no idea until I actually read through the whole thing one night. It was buried in the fine print but I ended up paying two months rent to get my name off, which sucked but was way cheaper than fighting it out with the landlord for months. I mean, it stung writing that check but at least I didn't have to worry about my ex trashing the place and it coming back on me. Just something to dig around for in your paperwork if you still have a copy.

elizabethtaylor14d ago

Ugh, that's rough. I've been there with a nightmare tenant situation and it's scary how fast things can spiral when the landlord gets involved. A buyout clause saved me too, I paid three months rent to get my name off after my roommate bailed on me. Still sucked but at least I slept better knowing I was out of the whole mess. Hope you find something similar in your lease paperwork.