How to Break a Lease Due to Rats
WouterIf your landlord is not doing enough to get rid of the rats, you may be able to break your lease early. California law permits tenants to break leases for health reasons, such as rodent infestations. The landlord must get rid of the rodent infestation to avoid being liable for unpaid rent.
However, there are a few steps that you must take before breaking your lease due to rodents. First, you have to protect your credit and deposit. Secondly, you need to get your landlord’s permission. If he refuses to give you the right to break the lease, you will have to pay him for damages caused by the infestation.
If you are in the active-duty military, you can break your lease agreement if you feel unsafe. It is also possible to break a lease due to domestic violence. In addition, you may be entitled to break a lease due to roach infestations under the implied warranty of habitability. This warranty requires the pad to be “fit for human habitation” and to be free of pests and insects.
However, before you can break your lease, you need to convince the landlord that the infestation was caused by the tenant’s actions. Your landlord must have responded to the infestation within a certain timeframe, so it’s important to document everything that happened. Moreover, you should provide pictures of the infestation.
