if you live in an apartment, and it gets broken into...can you legally break a lease if you have a police report?
Update:adding additional locks doesnt help anything. i wasnt home. its not like i can put a chain on my door on the inside if im on the outside. my bf was inside ASLEEP when this **** happened. he could have been killed. it's not as simple as "dont be predictable." it takes me an hour to get to work. and i have to be here at 8 am. i work until 5 and takes an hour to get home (thankfully i go the opposite way of the traffic so it doesnt take me longer.) i cant change anything about it. thats how it has to be. i also have 3 dogs in the apartment. and apparently they didn't care. these were people who had some guts.
Update 3:i moved out of a townhouse that i lived in with my cousin that had gotten broken into not long before our lease was over. this wasnt even 6 months ago. and i moved into a much nicer area and paying a lot more for less space. i don't have the money to replace my things that are getting stolen. my bf and i are barely making it as it is. i don't have the money to do this, but i dont feel safe anymore either. i feel like i have a big target on me. i just feel like crying. my bf and i work hard for the little bit that we have just for some stupid people to break in and take it. not to mention i JUST had this happen to me when my cousin and i lived together back in june. if i wanted to risk getting broken into id move back into the crap hole of a place i lived in before that was CHEAPER than my apartment i have now and was BIGGER.
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
Unless the owner of the property or the landlord or the agent was somehow responsible for the break-in you likely have no valid grounds to terminate the lease.
Go talk with the landlord and see if they will work with you to either resolve your concerns or fortify your unit with a few extra security measures.
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No you cannot. All you can do is ask the landlord to secure your apartment better, such as adding a better deadbolt, adding a chain on the door etc. Contact an alarm company and have an alarm system hooked up.
Read your lease, unless the place is deemed unhealthy to live there, infested with rats and mice having your place broken into is not sufficient to break a lease. Call up and get renters insurance so that if there is a next time your items are covered.
The only reason people get broken into is that they are watched they are predictable and the theives learn their schedule. Try not to be predictable.
sorry this happened I know it sucks and you feel violated but the landlord wont' understand that when you break the lease and will probably make you pay thru the end of the lease. If you are unhappy, stay till the end, give sufficient notice and then move.
You cannot break your lease without a penalty if your apartment gets broken into. Your lease is a legally binding agreement. You cannot break the agreement due to theft, fire, burglary, loss of job, etc. unless you want to pay the penalty fee. Most landlords require 60 days written notice while you continue paying rent. You are then charged 2-3 months rent plus administrative fees in one lump sum as penalty for breaking the lease early. Do you seriously want to waste that much money? There is no guarantee that your next apartment will be any safer. You should consider this a painful learning experience.
No, you cannot break your lease without penalty simply because you were 'broken into'. Such situations occur EVERYWHERE, no matter how 'nice' an area you might choose. You need to take control of your emotions, add some additional security to your premises, and get on with your life. And purchase some renter's insurance, which will cover your lost items if you happen to be robbed yet again.
Not unless it's the landlord that broke into your house. Crime can and does happen everywhere. Having a break in is NOT a lease reason to terminate your lease.
No.
The fact that someone else committed a crime does not void your obligations between you and your landlord.
Your only case might be if the landlord refuses to install suitable locks, you might be able to get a judge to void your lease, but the judge is more likely to just order the landlord to install better locks rather than voiding your lease.
NOPE. The landlord is not legally responsible for crime in the area. As unfair as it may seem this is not their problem & legally has nothing to do with your lease. You certainly have every right to move but your landlord also has every right to charge you for it.
No you cannot.