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ttsci t1_j5quq7w wrote

EDIT: I just read the legislation more closely and this is important so I wanted to put it at the top: the landlord-tenant law signed in 2018 states that as a tenant, one of your rights includes:

> You may terminate a lease early with limited penalties under certain special circumstances such as: unemployment or death of a tenant whose income was used to qualify for the lease, certain medical conditions, change of military posting, domestic violence or sexual assault.

As long as your friend was used to qualify for the lease, which sounds likely, you have the right to terminate the lease early with "limited penalties." Absolutely 100% bring the Office of Consumer Protection into this and enforce your rights.

ORIGINAL POST:

Sorry to hear about your friend. I know that must be really hard and doesn't make dealing with this situation any easier.

I'm sure you've considered some of this already, but have you looked into subletting or trying to get another roommate? Even if you have to offer somewhat discounted rent (e.g. $600 instead of $750), it might be a lot easier to cover an extra $150/month instead of $750/month.

You may want to look into reaching out to the Howard County Office of Consumer Protection; they offer landlord/tenant dispute resolution assistance. Here's a copy of some of the landlord-tenant law info from the Howard County Housing Commission, and a direct link to the Office of Consumer Protection.

They may be able to bring you and the landlord to mediation in a way that could give you time or some kind of break. You mentioned in a previous post that the landlord is a large corporation, so I'm not surprised they refused to let you switch to a one-bedroom when you asked...but they may be more pliable if you're asking and you've got the local government involved.

Sorry none of this is job-related, since I don't have any leads there, but I would definitely recommend trying to reach out and find out what rights and options you might have in this situation.

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ttsci t1_j5qw3qn wrote

As a follow-up, I looked more into the "limited penalties" and they are as follows:

> Under HCC section 17.1009(H),leases must state that tenants may terminate on 60 days written notice due to:

> * The death of a wage earner whose income was used to qualify for the lease, when confirmed by a death certificate.

> If you terminate the lease due to the above circumstances, you may be held liable for no more than two month's rent or actual damages whichever is less.

So absolute maximum, you'd owe two months of rent if you were to terminate your lease

It's still worth getting the Office of Consumer Protection involved because the landlord might be even more accommodating knowing that you know your rights and have the government involved - maybe they'll let you take a one-unit so you don't have to figure out housing in the meantime. Obviously I would hesitate to renew any lease with them again, but in the meantime it could save you from having to do an apartment search.

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RebornBoii OP t1_j5qxy6n wrote

Thanks a lot for this information. I guess I kind of just thought that it might be easier to find a second job, especially because I don't exactly have anywhere else to go. I also thought that maybe working extra would help me take my mind off things.

But I am absolutely going to follow through with this, because I've kind of had it with my landlords and it'd be nice to stick it to them if I actually have a legal case that can get me out of this. I plan to call tomorrow. Thanks again for the help.

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ttsci t1_j5qynzp wrote

No problem at all and best of luck! I'm sure it's been stressful and overwhelming. I hope it goes well for you.

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