Early termination of a lease

[jhanni]

I currently reside in Queens, NY, and I have a lease that runs until November 2003. When I notified the Landlord, in July, that I will be moving at the end of August. I was handy an agreement to sign that said that I would pay August's rent (a given), also September's and October's rent, and on top of that forfeit my one month Security Deposit.

There is nothing that I can see in the lease that covers early lease termination, so natural I'm wondering if the Landlord is trying to pull a fast one.

I have not signed the agreement but, I am wondering what are my rights, and who I should contact if indeed the Landlord is trying to be cute?

Thank you in advance.

[Rodneystri]

You signed a lease that does not expire until the end of November, unless their is a lease breakage clause in the lease you ae obligated until the lease end or until the LL re-rents the apt.

[consigliere]

You could attempt to assign your lease, and if the landlord unreasonably withholds its consent, you could terminate your lease with 30-days' notice.
 
See Real Property Law §226-b(1).
 

[Tuky]

What does that mean ASSIGN a lease?

[Chimera]

Assigning your lease basically means you are signing the remainder of your lease over to another person (with landlord's permission), thereby releasing you from it.

[remogul]

I can tell you quite confidently that you will be held responsible for paying rent until the landlord can find another tenant. Most likely the court would award him/her 60 days (two months) rent past the COURT DATE. By that time you'll end up getting the short end of the stick. If you want out you can either claim a hardship of some sort (lost job, family emergency, etc...) or find another "QUALIFIED" tenant to take the apartment (very hard to take this route). You absolutely cannot assign your lease or sublet without prior written approval from the landlord... which they will most likely not give you.

[remogul]

By the way... you may as well just retain possession of the apartment rather that siging that agreement. You will be paying full rent through your lease expiration anyway... May as well retain posession.