When should we tell the landlords?

[SuzySunshine]

So DH will be signing his contract today (finally!) so he will start 4/30 and per the decision with his fellowship mentor he'll be giving 30 days notice here somewhere in March but definitely by 3/15.

So we'll most likely be moving mid-April, our lease goes through the end of June and while I know thy could hold us to it after all of the foreclosure crap they have pit is through I don't think they will.

So we are trying to decide if we tell them now or wait until DH gives notice. I'm thinking we tell them now and that we'll pay trough April to give us a cushion. DH thinks there is no reason to tell them before he gives notice...

[oceanchild]

What does your lease require? I wouldn't do anything more than that.

[Vanquisher]

Read your lease. Give the least possible notice.

[poky]

I'm going to weigh in on the other side, here. Yes, there was some drama, but they absolutely fell over themselves to be flexible and do whatever was easiest for you then. Nothing they did was malicious, and they never showed any signs of leaning on the law of the lease to force you to do anything you didn't want to. I really don't think they're going to raise any kind of stink about the two months between April and June, and the more notice you give them, the nicer you're being, the better chance they have of getting other renters, and the better all around. Why wait, except to stick it to them, and what exactly would that accomplish?

[SuzySunshine]

I need to go back and look at the lease but what I remember from the foreclosure mess is that there is no out in it for us only that they can evict for a few reasons. That is why I'm leaning towards telling them sooner rather then later.

[oceanchild]

I don't think waiting is "sticking it to them". The lease should be written to reflect the amount of notice they need.

In all likelihood, it won't make any difference. I just think the lease is a reasonable, legal guideline.

[MrsK]

I had a tenant break a lease. She lost her job 4 months into the lease and had to move away. She gave me 2 months' notice. The lease obligated her to pay rent for the remainder of the lease term. I told her that I'd let her off the hook once a new tenant moved in. She cooperated with my broker showing the place, moved up her move out date so the new tenant could move in earlier, and cleaned the place for the new tenant. She ended up paying rent for 6 weeks after her notice date and we used half of her deposit for the broker's commission. I really appreciated that she was up front and cooperative about it. I would have been really pissed if she didn't provide notice and I would have leaned on her for the rest of the rent.

[Pollyanna]

I would tell them as soon as possible because it really is the right thing to do. Consider if you were the landlords.

[SuzySunshine]

I agree with you guys and this is not the only thing DH and I are disagreeing on as far as notice. His work contract here says 90 days but he and his fellowship mentor have decided he'll just give 30 days because they're afraid the CM will make his time here just awful or will terminate him immediately. The next few months will definitely be interesting...

[diggitydot]

I think it depends on the LL. Some will totally appreciate the heads up and work with you more because of the extra notice. Others will use it as an excuse to fuck you over every way they can think of to do so.

Which type are your LLs?

[Momo]

I agree with you guys and this is not the only thing DH and I are disagreeing on as far as notice. His work contract here says 90 days but he and his fellowship mentor have decided he'll just give 30 days because they're afraid the CM will make his time here just awful or will terminate him immediately. The next few months will definitely be interesting...

Yowza...Let's hope for NO Drama on their part!

[SuzySunshine]

I think it depends on the LL. Some will totally appreciate the heads up and work with you more because of the extra notice. Others will use it as an excuse to fuck you over every way they can think of to do so.

Which type are your LLs?

To be honest I think they'll work with us, they've given us the opt out of our lease twice when the foreclosure mess got ridiculous. They are very nice people and I think under other circumstances we could be friends.

I re-read the lease and they left the buy out blank so there is no fee for breaking the lease and it says we are held to the term but all notices must be done by first class mail. I think I'll talk to DH but then call the LL, talk things out and then send them the required letter so its in writing...

Of course we were supposed to get the contract by overnight today and we haven't received it.

[weeniegeniewife]

We had a rental (that we sold last year) that had two different renters in it during the 4 years we rented it out. The first set gave us 60 days notice (as per the lease) to move out before the lease term. They worked with us and we were able to find another family to rent pretty quickly. That next pair of renters were awful. They abandoned the property 2 months before the lease was up and trashed the house, as well as left a whole bunch of junk in the house that we had to have hauled out. We followed the proper legal procedures to sue them, and won (and collected!) a large judgment against them. It was at that time that we decided to never be landlords ever again!

I would tell them ASAP; they will appreciate the advanced notice.

[SuzySunshine]

I sent DH an e-mail with the following and told him he can do whatever he wants with his work notice but I'm telling them.

Dear LL's,
DH's job situation has changed. His fellowship mentor at OHSU is leaving to take a job in California in March. Therefore DH's fellowship will be ending somewhere in the mid-March to mid-April timeframe. DH has accepted a new job in Kansas City and we are very excited to be moving back home, his start date is April 30th. We would like to terminate our lease effective April 30th. I would hope that we would be able to do that without penalty since there is not a penalty amount listed in the lease and we have been such good tenants. I would also hope that the deposit would be handled just like we were leaving at the end of June with only deductions being made for anything that needs to be fixed or replaced after we leave.

Please let me know how you would like to proceed and I will be happy to send you a formal letter by mail as the lease requires.

Thanks so much!

[Tenacious_D]

I would tell them as soon as possible because it really is the right thing to do. Consider if you were the landlords.

This is how I feel.