Question about breaking a 12 month lease

shamblertine

I was thinking of renting out a place which has a 12 month lease but nervous about breaking that lease, as lets be honest, no one in Ireland can say they will definitely have a job for the next 12 months. So whats the normal procedure for breaking a 12 month lease?

I was under the impression that I only had to give 1 months notice and pay that month, move out, then get my deposit back. But the landlord to one place I looked at said even once I move out after the 30 day notice, I still have to pay rent for all the months that they don't get the place rented out to someone else. And I think he also said that for every month its not rented, I would lose something like 9% of the deposit each month. Is this normal?

Any help would be much appreciated.

SoupyNorman

A lease is better described as a legal contract stating that you'll pay 'x' amount for 12 months, if you sign it you are obligated to stick to it! There isnt really much room for debate on this matter, so so many people think the same as yourself OP.

I can totally understand your concerns OP as signing a lease only really benefits the Landlord.

The simple answer to your solution is to ask for a 6month break clause to be put into the lease which gives you the right to terminate the lease.

Pete4779

a 12 month lease is for 12 months, so he is right in the first part. the 9% bit is not true though.

what people do is but a "break clause" in the 12 month lease that gives you the option after usually 6 months to end the lease and get deposit back without problem, but you need to negotiate it with the landlord.

shamblertine

Thanks for the replies so far guys, so if I lose my job in 4 months and have to move out, I still have to pay him for the remaining 8 months, and he could lease the flat to someone else, so effectively he is getting paid rent by 2 tenants for the 1 appartment?

Or would this be illegal? And if so how can I be sure that he hasn't rented to someone else while still taking my money? Surely he could just say he hasn't been able to rent it and I would have no way of independantly checking that he didn't? The apartment is in a large appartment complex where there are places advertised constantly on daft, and they just show the picture of the 1 apartment, so I couldn't find out that way anyway.

1 other question- is there any insurance I could take out to protect me with regards to rent if I lose my job?

tenchi-fan

Eagle star can cover your mortgage payments if you lose your job, and most assurance companies will insure you against lost income due to illness.. there's nothing to cover your rent for being out of work though.

D3PO

be3st option is to look for a break clause in your lease. get a clause allowing you to break the lease with 28 days notice if needed.