Do I owe rent for the entire remaining lease?

In most states, no. Landlords have a legal duty to mitigate damages by making reasonable efforts to re-rent the unit. Once a new tenant moves in, your liability for rent generally stops. You typically owe rent only for the months the unit sits genuinely vacant plus any agreed fees.

What is a re-letting or early-termination fee?

Many leases include a flat early-termination fee, often one or two months' rent, that lets you exit by paying it. A re-letting fee covers the landlord's cost to advertise and screen a new tenant. Read your lease — if it offers a buyout clause, that fixed amount may be cheaper than open-ended rent liability.

What does duty to mitigate mean for my bill?

It means a landlord cannot simply leave the unit empty and bill you for every remaining month. They must try to re-rent at a fair price. If they re-rent quickly, your owed rent shrinks to the vacant period. If they refuse reasonable applicants, a court may reduce or eliminate the claim against you.

Can the landlord keep my security deposit too?

A landlord may apply your deposit to unpaid rent or actual damages, but not as an extra penalty beyond your real liability. If the deposit exceeds what you owe after mitigation, the balance must be returned. Enter your deposit so the tool can offset it against the total.

Are there fee-free reasons to break a lease?

Yes. Active-duty military relocation under the SCRA, documented domestic violence, an uninhabitable unit, or landlord harassment can let you terminate without the usual penalty in many states. Those legal exceptions override standard lease-break math, so consult an attorney if one applies.

Lease Break Penalty Calculator

Leaving a rental before the lease ends rarely means paying every remaining month — most states require landlords to re-rent the unit and credit you once they do. This calculator estimates your realistic exposure: rent for the vacant months, any early-termination or re-letting fees, and the offset from your security deposit.

How it works

Your liability is the rent for the months the unit stays empty plus agreed fees, reduced by your deposit. The landlord’s duty to mitigate caps the vacant period:

vacant_rent = monthly_rent × vacant_months
total_fees  = early_termination_fee + reletting_fee
gross       = vacant_rent + total_fees
net_owed    = gross − security_deposit_applied

The fewer months the unit sits empty, the lower your bill, because once a new tenant moves in the landlord can no longer charge you for those months.

Tips and notes

Always read your lease first: a buyout clause that sets a flat early-termination fee may be far cheaper and more certain than open-ended rent liability. The duty to mitigate is your strongest protection — keep records showing the unit could have been re-rented quickly, since a landlord who refuses reasonable applicants may lose the right to charge you for the empty months. Legal exceptions such as military relocation under the SCRA, domestic violence, or an uninhabitable unit can eliminate the penalty entirely. This estimate is not legal advice; confirm your state’s mitigation rule and any statutory exceptions before negotiating a buyout.