How do we break my brother’s lease?

Q: Our brother will be hospitalized for over a year due to total blindness. How can we get him out of his lease with 7 months remaining on the lease. He has to be hospitalized in another city for total rehabilitation. He is totally blind with frontal lobe tram.

A: Of course I would need to check your lease to give you more certain advice. However, I can advise generally. You would need to immediately notify the landlord in writing. Tell him that your brother has vacated the apartment on a certain date, and that you want the security deposit back. I would send this certified mail, with your brother’s new address on it. Even though you are breaching the lease the landlord has a duty to find a new tenant ASAP to limit his damages. If the landlord sues your brother at the District Justice level, he will need to show his efforts to mitigate his damages by advertising for a new tenant. In addition, vacate and clean the apartment as soon as possible and photograph everything. Unless he can show difficulty in finding a replacement tenant, your damages will be mitigated.

If you feel like this issue relates to you, or a problem that you are experiencing, please contact me so that we can discuss your situation.