If you’re experiencing a hardship that forces you to break your lease on your apartment, here is an example hardship letter you can use to guide you through writing one of your own.
Below a sample hardship letter to request breaking a lease:
IMPORTANT: DO NOT COPY THIS LETTER EXACTLY. PLEASE USE YOUR OWN WORDS.
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{Rental Property Name}
{Rental Property Main Office Address}
{Rental Property Contact Name}
{Your Name}
{Your Address}
{Rental Unit #}
{Date}
To Whom It May Concern (or Dear {Rental Property Contact Name}):
I am the tenant in {rental unit} at {address}. I have been living there since {date}. I am writing because my financial situation has changed in recent weeks. I need to break my lease early, and I am hoping I can do so without monetary penalty.
My income has become significantly reduced recently, due to {sickness, death in the family, job loss, etc. Be specific}. The money I have remaining every month must go to {food, car payment, medication, etc.} and so I do not have enough left over to pay for rent.
I am happy to help advertise my apartment for another tenant, or to look for someone to sublet the unit until my lease is up. Since subletting is restricted in the tenant handbook, I wanted to check in with you on the proper procedure before taking that approach.
If subletting is not an option, I hope that there is a way that you can reduce or forgive the penalty for breaking the lease early. I am not trying to avoid my responsibilities, but these new circumstances have been both unexpected and financially devastating.
I apologize for any inconvenience this causes you and I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Thank you,
{Sender Name}
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