Getting out of a Lease

[Warlord]

Does anyone know if apartments are required to let you out of a lease if you're going to OCS? Can the government just tell them to kiss off? My apartment's managers are bastards.

Thanks for advice.

 

[bbennett73]

I believe you are still legally bound by the terms of your lease. Take a look at the paperwork you signed, there may be a military clause that allows you to break it.

 

[jburnes]

I haven't had an in depth discusion with my recruiter, but I asked him this question and he made it sound like it wouldn't be a problem to get out of a lease. He didn't make it to clear if there was a conventional way he was going to do this or if he had his own "special" way of taking care of it...I only say this because he's in SpecWar with that "get it done anyway you can" attitude...

besides there's always a way out, you just have to find it

or another thing you could try is to get your OCS date pushed back and party til your lease runs out or your apartment managers kick you out...cranking up the stereo should do wonders for contract litigation...

 

[NFOwife]

From Military.com, and the SCRA:

The recently enacted Servicemember's Civil Relief Act (SCRA) expands and improves the former Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act (SSCRA). The SCRA provides a wide range of protections for individuals entering, called to active duty in the military, or deployed servicemembers. It is intended to postpone or suspend certain civil obligations to enable service members to devote full attention to duty and relieve stress on the family members of those deployed servicemembers. A few examples of such obligations you may be protected against are:
-outstanding credit card debt
-mortgage payments
-pending trials
-taxes
-terminations of lease.

In addition the new law:
Provides a servicemember who receives permanent change of station orders or who is deployed to a new location for 90 days or more the right to terminate a housing lease.

If you have orders to OCS (and I'm not sure how OCS works, as my husband didn't attend) that are for more than 90 days or are PCS orders, then you must be released from your lease. You should contact the JAG office at NAS Pensacola if you are having further trouble.

 

[Warlord]

Thanks you guys for all the responses. That makes me feel better. They just found out yesterday I had a dog and want to charge me $400. Guess I'm on my own there. Don't thing there's an act for that.

 

[jburnes]

did you tell them that you had found the dog in the closet when you moved in and just thought it came with the apartment?...but yeah NFOwife sounds like she's got the goods on lease info...