Can I Break My Renters' Lease If I'm the Landlord?
Dear Ali, I am temporarily in Arizona working on a project for my company, so I have rented out my townhome in Colorado. My renters have signed a lease for one year, ending next summer. The problem: My mother has fallen seriously ill in California and I need to move her home with me to Colorado. My property managers say there is nothing we can do except ride out the lease for the year. Are they right?
A: Your property managers are right that your renters have a legal lease, and you don't have the right to evict them.
However, there's one option that you didn't mention: a buyout. If you asked your renters to move out while offering to pay moving costs and giving them a couple of months' rent for their trouble, they might agree to that. (Realize that they don't have to, so try to stay as sweet as sugar.)
The other thing to keep in mind is that even by approaching the problem with the idea that you'll move your mom to be with you, you're doing her good. My dad was quite ill for about a year when I was in high school, and I remember that the impulse is to try to do "one more thing" to make the sick person better. But it's not just your responsibility -- the doctors will do a lot too! You're being a good kid just trying.
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