moving to a school while on waitlists

[mrhealth]

Just a quick question. I am getting ready to move to a school across the country that will start in August. I have not set living arrangements yet. I am on waitlists for schools in other parts of the country that I would love to get into.

My question is: how do you setup living arrangements when there is a chance to get pulled off a waitlist even a week before classes start? I am not planning or relying on getting off a waitlist, but what do people do with a lease when they get pulled off a waitlist in another city?

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[Daydreamer2008]

Just a quick question. I am getting ready to move to a school across the country that will start in August. I have not set living arrangements yet. I am on waitlists for schools in other parts of the country that I would love to get into.

My question is: how do you setup living arrangements when there is a chance to get pulled off a waitlist even a week before classes start? I am not planning or relying on getting off a waitlist, but what do people do with a lease when they get pulled off a waitlist in another city?

you break the lease and risk not having your deposit returned to you.

 

[Mobius1985]

There's a good chance that if you are willing to sacrifice the entire down payment you made when you signed the lease, that the landlord will be willing to advertise for a new renter. If you can find someone to sublease, or take over the lease you might be able to walk away with the entire deposit. Worst case scenario: you are legally liable for the rent each month for the next year, regardless of where you reside, if the landlord chooses to enforce the lease agreement you signed.

 

[mrhealth]

Are you not liable for all the rent for a year? I guess I could just try to find a month-to-month lease.

 

[AquaDoc]

Technically you are, but the landlord is also under a duty to mitigate his damages. So if he finds a renter (which is almost always likely), you can't be held responsible for the loss since he didn't incur any. There are a lot of state specific laws, but this is the little bit of the general rule I remember from contract law.

My advice - find a roommate on craigslist and avoid the headache. Good luck to you on the waitlist though!