How to Quickly and Legally Break a Lease in Kentucky

Most tenants who sign a lease for their new rental unit plan to stay there for the agreed-upon time, which is typically a year. However, despite your best intentions, you may want to vacate the premises before your lease is up. Maybe you want to enroll in your new school, you have landed a new job outside Kentucky, or you are moving in with your significant other.

Whatever your reason, it is important to understand that you have the renters right to break a lease, and no one can force you to live where you do not want, but there may be penalties involved in breaking the lease early. While breaking a lease does not come easy or cheap, it is possible.

Today, learn how to legally break your lease in Kentucky easily and efficiently. Find out the legal reasons to break your lease and the possible consequences, such as the costs for breaking your lease and how breaking a lease hurts your credit.

Lease Termination Notice Requirements in Kentucky

Kentucky law does not require a tenant to give any notices for fixed-end-date leases. However, tenants in Kentucky have to provide lease notices for the following:

When Breaking a Lease Is Justified in Kentucky

A tenant in Kentucky should be able to break a lease without penalty under the following circumstances:

1. An early termination clause

Every lease agreement is different. Some lease agreements may have a section with specific terms that allow a tenant to break a lease but at a predetermined fee.

2. Active military duty

The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act affects your lease. Service members are protected from facing legal consequences if they break a lease because of deployment or a permanent move to another station.

3. An uninhabitable unit

Just like all other states, Kentucky has health and safety codes that set the minimum standards for rental units. If these standards are not met, a tenant is legally allowed to break their lease. According to Kentucky state law KRS § 383.595, in Kentucky, landlords must make sure things like compliance, heat, maintenance, and repairs are functioning or included.

4. Harassment by the landlord or violation of privacy rights

If the complaints are serious enough, harassment of a tenant or a violation of their privacy rights are reasons enough for the tenant to break their lease.

Reasons That Can't Be Used to Break a Lease in Kentucky

The following reasons (on their own), do not offer enough ground for a tenant to end their lease without the landlord agreeing:

• You purchased a new house
• You want to move closer to your family
• You want to upgrade or downgrade
• You want to relocate because of a new job or school

Consequences of Illegally Breaking a Lease

The following are some potential consequences of breaking a lease in Kentucky that you should be aware of:

1. Financial consequences

Oftentimes, breaking a lease comes with associated fines. Sometimes, this may be one- or two-months’ rent. At other times, you may be required to pay rent for the remaining lease time. You may also have to forego your deposit.

2. Your landlord could sue you

Your landlord could sue you for any money owed. It is, therefore, important to pay all your dues to avoid issues escalating.

3. Your credit score could be affected

Having a good credit score is important as the scores are attached to your financial identity. These numbers are used for everything including purchasing cars and getting loans. This means that a bad mark on your credit score can affect many significant aspects of your life.

4. It will be hard for you to rent your next apartment

Landlords want a trustworthy tenant, and a history of breaking a lease, even if you just did it once, can come off to them as a red flag.

How to Break a Lease in Kentucky on Your Own

If you want to break your lease in Kentucky, you can follow these steps:

1. Carefully read through your lease agreement for any information regarding early lease termination.
2. Speak to your landlord about your intention, in person, preferably. Be as transparent as you can.
3. Ask if you can sublet or relet. Inquire from your landlord if you can find a new tenant to cover the remainder of the lease. You can also ask your landlord if they are comfortable with re-letting, which is where a new tenant signs a new lease.
4. If you have tried everything but all fails, and you still want to break your lease early, you can vacate the unit but continue paying rent until the apartment is re-let. This is under the assumption that the landlord will immediately start looking for a new tenant.

It is worth noting that breaking a lease is a very tasking process. It can be costly for you, and will sometimes land you in legal trouble. However, you can use DoNotPay to help you with all of this. DoNotPay is fast, efficient, and successful. You can rest assured that we will handle everything for you.

How to Break Your Lease in Kentucky With DoNotPay

If you want to break your lease in Kentucky but do not know where to start, DoNotPay can help you get started in 3 easy steps:

1. Search Break My Lease on DoNotPay.

2. Prepare a signed copy of your lease that you can use as a reference, and enter the state the lease was signed in.

3. Let us guide you through the 4 potential options.

Here is what DoNotPay will do for you, depending on your specific circumstances:

• If you're a uniformed service member breaking a lease to fulfill your service obligations, we'll send your landlord an SCRA Protection Letter.
• If you're breaking your lease for a reason protected by your state's tenant laws, we'll write your landlord a letter detailing your protections for breaking the lease under the relevant law.
• If your reasons for breaking your lease aren't protected by federal or state law, but you'd like to try to convince your landlord to let you break the lease through mutual agreement, we'll draft a hardship letter making your case to your landlord.
• If there are no remaining options for breaking the lease with protection, but your state requires landlords to mitigate damages to tenants who break their leases, we'll notify your landlord of that obligation and minimize the remaining rent you have to pay.

More Services From DoNotPay

DoNotPay can do much more than solve lease issues in Kentucky. We have quick and easy solutions for many problems, including:

• Breach of contract
• Reduce property taxes
• Change your mailing address
• Create a power of attorney
• Cancel subscriptions

Do not waste any more time. Contact DoNotPay today and let us handle all your social and legal issues!