A Guide on How Section 8 Tenants Can Break Their Lease

iEditorial Note: These blog posts represent the opinion of DoNotPay’s Writers, but each person’s situation and circumstances vary greatly. As a result, you should make sure to do your own independent research. Because everyone is unique, our self-help tools are never guaranteed to help with any specific situation. DoNotPay is not a law firm and is not licensed to practice law. DoNotPay provides a platform for legal information and self-help.

Find Out if Section 8 Tenants Can Break Their Lease

Nothing is more frustrating than being locked into a rental agreement in a location that isn't ideal for your mental or physical health. Even if you have access to rental assistance programs, you might wish to break your lease. Read on to learn more. The short answer is this: DoNotPay can help.

What Is Section 8?

Section 8 is a government-run housing and rent assistance program. It allows families that meet certain guidelines to receive vouchers and rent-approved housing. An agent follows the families, ensuring the facility is suitable, and the landlord is agreeable to the terms. Will being on to break their lease, though?

When is Breaking a Lease Justified?

Breaking a lease is not something to be handled lightly. If done incorrectly, the landlord may be able to take action against you. You have the right to terminate the lease if you do any of the six actions:

    Provide documented, dated, and timely notification of an impending relocation due to new employment.You have significant financial developments that impede the continuation of the lease with on-time payments. Again, you must notify a landlord in writing with evidence and adequate warning.Significant interference, wherein the concerns are substantial, such as no heat, sewage overflows, late-night noise issues, or bugs and vermin.Purchasing a new home - certain contracts let the lease be terminated due to this, but not all.Divorce necessitates financial separation and division.New military assignment - you will need to produce documented confirmation of new orders.

How to Break My Lease While on Section 8

Leases protected under the agreement of Section 8 can not be broken on your own with a simple lease termination letter. You will need help. DoNotPay is there for you. Should you need to leave the agreement before the one-year contract concludes, you must consult with your housing authority agent. Then you can prepare the lease termination letter if the agent agrees to the reasoning.Take care though, breaking a lease may harm your credit history.

Breaking Leases by State

If you decide to break your lease, you should research the numerous restrictions that each state has about when it is permissible. Each of these states has unique rules:

TexasCaliforniaNew York
FloridaArizonaMassachusetts
IllinoisNorth CarolinaOhio
GeorgiaVirginiaWashington State
ColoradoNew JerseyPennsylvania
MarylandOregonMichigan
NevadaIndianaTennessee
WisconsinMissouriConnecticut
South CarolinaMinnesota Alabama
Washington DCKansasKentucky
LouisianaNew MexicoArkansas
HawaiiUtahWest Virginia
New HampshireNebraskaMaine
IdahoSouth DakotaNorth Dakota
VermontRhode IslandMississippi
Alaska

How to Break Your Section 8 Lease on Your Own

Consult with your agent. If they decide to allow the lease termination, you can begin the process. To officially submit your notice, you may draft a letter, take it to a notary, and present it to your landlord. Bad landlords may take it and "lose" it, so maintain a backup copy. Another alternative is to hire a lawyer to help you terminate your lease. Regardless of the path you choose, it will need time away from work, meetings, and bills. There is a better, more secure, and simpler approach: DoNotPay.

Break Your Section 8 Lease With the Help of DoNotPay

Allow DoNotPay to craft the letters and deliver them for you after you receive approval to move.Here's how you can get started in three 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.

  • 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.

Why Use DoNotPay to Break Your Lease

Using DoNotPay to terminate your lease gives you extra time to look for a new place. Plus, the speed and convenience with which DoNotPay creates and mails lease termination letters ensures that you always have a copy on hand. When the termination notice is received, DoNotPay will inform you.

What Else Can DoNotPay Do?

After filing your lease termination with Section 8, you exhale a sigh of relief. But what more can you do with a few computer clicks? DoNotPay may help with:

Allow DoNotPay to assist you in getting out of this predicament and back on track. Try it today.

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