When you move into an apartment as a tenant, you have rights and obligations.
One of the key points of a tenant-landlord agreement is that it allows the tenant to live in the apartment for a specified period of time, usually a year, without a rent increase. On the other side, the tenant also commits to live in that apartment for that one year.
What happens if the tenant wants to leave? There could be a number of reasons, such as the need to move because of work-related issues.
A recent article in the Toronto Star has some interesting points.
Talk to the landlord to see whether the contract could be ended before the stipulated time.
The tenant can sublet, but he/she will be the tenant with the legal responsibilities.
The tenant can the assign the lease to someone else, and be charged for the processing fees (for example, doing a credit check on the new tenant)
If the tenant is not happy with the condition of the apartment, then the tenant can try to prove why the contract was breached.
The full article on What You Need to Know on Breaking Tenancy Contract.
Note that this is meant for Ontario tenants. The rights and obligations of the tenant and the landlord can vary from province to province in Canada and check the provincial Landlord and Tenant Board units for more information.
The Canada Landlord Resource Directory has some valuable Links for the various provinces and territories of the country.
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