When you sign a lease and move into a new apartment, you often do so with the idea that you will stay for the entirety of the lease and not have plans to move. But things can happen over time and there may be a situation where you will need to break the lease early. When this happens, you may have to deal with the fees and the other issues that come with it. But there are some situations where you can legally get out of the lease without those. One of these situations is when the tenant is active duty military.

Thanks to the SCRA, or the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, active duty military members will be able to get certain protections. This can affect their rental agreement as well. These members will be protected if they have to move due to changes in their station orders. They may sign a lease in one place and then find out they need to move a few months later. If they do not move, they run a lot of risks. So they are allowed to break the lease early.

If a service member does sign a lease and then receives orders that ask them to relocate for a minimum of 90 days, then the tenant will be able to provide the landlord with a written notice about their need to terminate the agreement they signed. They will need to notify the landlord; they can’t just decide they are going and then not tell the landlord at all and expect to get the same protection. And it needs to be done in writing.

In most areas, the notice needs to be given to the landlord a minimum of 30 days before the desired date of termination. This allows the landlord time to find a new tenant before the old one leaves. They may need to provide some proof of the new orders, such as station orders or military deployment.

When you are looking for a new apartment just for yourself and you want to make sure you keep your rental payment to a minimum each month, then a studio apartment is one of the best decisions for you to make. We can provide the best studio apartment in Seattle for all of your needs. With plenty of space to make all your own and affordable rent, you will be able to enjoy your new home while still having a lot of fun. We welcome you to come take a look at some of our units and ask any questions you may have before filing out an application and making our unit your new home!