Landlord Question and Answer Forum

Hi, I have a tenant that is purchasing a home so she they are breaking the lease 3-months early. I am happy for them. They were very good tenants. But i have a few questions that i am trying to get answered. Rental Property is in Charles County Maryland. 1 - Should move-out walk-through be done now on after they move-out on December 31, 2019? 2 - Am I entitled to keep the security deposit 3 - Am i entitle to charge them for the lease payments that are due for the period of Jan 1, 2020 - Mar 31, 2020?

1. I like to do a pre-move out walk thru, That way I can tell the tenant what I expect to be done before they leave(give them a cleaning check list, I use the one on here) and get a idea of the items I have to fix so I can have a work list ready. Then on the day of the move out you do a final walk-thru to verify that everything they need to do has been completed. 2. You can get them to agree that since you are letting them out of the lease early that the security deposit is the early termination fee. 3. You must try to lease the property to new tenants to minimize your damages and they would only be responsible for the days that the property is vacant and costs to find the tenant(advertising and realtor fees) this only if you don't do the termination fee.

Posted by Scott H, VA on Friday, December 20, 2019