Lease Termination Notices: Types And Responses
You may receive a lease termination notice if the landlord thinks you have violated the terms of the agreement. Below are common notices and tips on how to deal with them.
Types of Notices
Below are three main types of lease termination notices.
1. Pay or Quit
You may receive this notice from the landlord if your rental payments are late. The notice requires you to pay your rent within a specific period or vacate the premises. The notice will give you a deadline for moving out of the house if you don't clear the arrears.
You must pay your rental arrears even if you move out by the stipulated date. The landlord has the right to pursue the payments via legal channels. For example, the landlord may use a debt collection agency or sue you.
2. Cure or Quit
You may receive the cure or quit notice if the landlord thinks you have violated a rental agreement clause. The notice requires you to stop the violation or vacate the premises. Again, you will get a period within which you must cease the violation or move out of the property.
Consider a case where you construct an outdoor shade that goes against your rental agreement. The landlord may give you a quit or cure notice with a two-week deadline. The landlord expects you to remove the shade or vacate the premises within two weeks.
3. Quit
The quit notice requires you to vacate the premises within the stipulated deadline. In this case, you don't have a choice on what to do – you must vacate the premises as indicated in the notice. As you can imagine, landlords usually reserve this notice for grave violations. For example, you may receive a notice if the landlord thinks you have intentionally damaged the house.
What to Do
Never ignore a lease termination notice. Here are a few tips on how to deal with one.
Read and Understand the Notice
Many lease termination agreements are relatively straightforward. Still, take your time to read and understand every word in the notice. You should specifically note the deadline and required remedy.
Review Your Lease Agreement
Review your lease to confirm whether the landlord's position is accurate. For example, you might have paid partial rent if you didn't know the landlord charges other things, like pet and cleaning fees, separately.
Take the Relevant Remedy
Take the relevant remedy once you confirm the landlord is right. For example, you can bring down that fence the landlord doesn't want in their backyard. You may move out if you do not wish to live with the landlord's restrictions.
Challenge the Notice
You have the right to challenge the landlord's notice if you don't agree with it. You need legal backing for your decision. For example, you can seek legal redress if the landlord charges you for things they shouldn't.
Contact a real estate lawyer today to learn more.