Can I get out of my rental lease if the crime rate in my neighborhood is increasing drastically?

I just renewed my lease in Madison, WI and there have been a few crime incidents in my neighborhood. I just want to know if there is anyway I can get out of my lease?Can I get out of my rental lease if the crime rate in my neighborhood is increasing drastically?
Only if the lease has a clause along the lines of ';subject to area criminal activiity';. I have never heard of this, but you could have had the landlord add it.





But, no, the crime rate and your lease are not related to each other in any way. Can I get out of my rental lease if the crime rate in my neighborhood is increasing drastically?
No, you can't break your lease due to crime. The landlord has no control over crime in general.





The landlord does not have to let you out of the lease without it costing you $$$.





You have three choices in this situation:





1. Offer to pay to advertise the rental. Offer to have the rental in show worthy condition and allow showings as often as needed in order to get a replacement tenant. Offer to stay until the replacement tenant can move in. This way, the landlord suffers no loss of rent, you are not paying for a place in which you do not live and all you are out is the advertising costs. Your credit and rental histories will not be affected.





2. Negotiate a lease buyout with the landlord. Start by offering the amount equal to 2 months rent. The landlord may require another month. If you come to an agreement, get it in writing. This way your liabilities end with the lump sum payment. Your rental and credit histories will not be affected.





3. Move out without any agreement. The landlord can hold you liable for the rent until either the lease expires or a replacement tenant is found. The landlord can hold you liable for any costs he incurs due to your breach, such as advertising costs, agent fees, etc.





If you do not pay the amounts above, the landlord can sue you. The judgment will include not only the costs mentioned, but court costs and accrued interest until the judgment is paid.





Your rental and credit histories will be ruined. The judgment can be renewed for up to 20 years and the landlord can garnish wages or bank accounts, place liens on (future) personal property, etc.





Future landlords will deny renting to you due to the unpaid judgment. Many employers check credit, so you can be scrutinized for having the open judgment against you. Insurance companies and other creditors pull credit and adjust your rates dependant on your credit, so you will be paying higher rates for many years.





You cannot sublet unless the landlord gives you permission to do so.





Subletting can be a bad idea, because you are essentially the subtenants landlord and remain liable to your landlord for the entire lease term. If your subtenant fails to pay rent, damage the place or default in some other way, you are responsible to evict them. You are still responsible to pay your landlord any rent or damages owed. You then have to sue your subtenant to collect from them.
no, you may not. after all, it is not the landlord's fault that crime increased in the area. every area has crime. i don't consider a few incidents to be ';drastic crime increase';. are you sure that you aren't dramatizing things a bit, hehe.





however, if you can't handle this area, you have two choices 1. talk to the landlord and try to break your lease. he isn't going to be happy as you just renewed. you will most likely get hit with the penalities spelled out in the lease (which can be rather steep). 2. be vigilant and stick it out. if, when it's time to renew again, you don't like it, make sure that you give valid notice of your plan not to renew. this has to be at least 30 days in most states.
In my experience, probably not. The contracts provided by most apartment complexes seldom leave any wiggle room for people to break contracts without penalty.





You need to find a copy of the lease you signed, and read the fine print. Policies for breaking a lease will be outlined there in detail, and you'll be able to know for sure whether your complex offers a ';way out'; somehow.





Hope that helps!
Probably not. Here in Erie, PA crime of all kinds is on the rise and it doesn't happen in just one neighborhood. If every renter wanted to move there wouldn't be enough places for them all to go.
NO - Your landlord has no control over crime in the area and therefore you have NO legal grounds to break your lease.