Breaking a Lease Breaking a Lease in NJ

Jurisdiction
New Jersey
The landlord has made the living conditions hostile since I moved in. She is very irrational and when I try to have conversations with her to discuss compromises she will not listen, this has made it very difficult for me to feel comfortable in this home.

When I moved in I was made aware of a few things. Firstly, while the landscaping was not complete upon moving in that she had hired someone to complete the landscaping and after that was complete it would be my responsibility. She hired a friend to do the landscaping and he took over a month and never finished the job and was randomly in our yard regularly making it uncomfortable for us to be outside. This season, we had trouble finding someone to come landscape for us but eventually did get someone out here but it was not up to her specifications. She is now insisting to move out I must pay her husband $1000 to landscape the yard and buy more mulch. She said we are responsible for the beds her friend never finished as well. We bought mulch for the first round of landscaping and she said it was unfit to use as it was not treated and would attract termites, after contacting landscaping companies and doing independent research I learned that this is not true. When i confronted her about this she got angry and said that that is what she believed to be true and that was what I must purchase.

Next, the carport on the house was not complete and she said it would be done by June 1. It was not done until Mid-July and we had construction workers in and out of our basement to use the bathroom. When it was complete her husband and the workers cooked pork chops under it and had a barbecue without our permission.

She also had made us aware that her daughter in law had thrown shock in to the pool causing some fading on the liner and asked that we not do the same. The liner did fade a bit while we were living there however they had removed two trees and two different pool companies told us because it was a very old liner this could have caused the fading. She insisted we put shock in it like her daughter in law and made me pay for half of a new liner as well as find the pool company to replace it.

This winter I spent a lot of time with no heater. She had put in the lease we were to call a warranty company if anything went wrong so her and her husband were not responsible. Every time we called the warranty company they would take days to get out and never fix the heater right so I would end up paying the deposit to the company as well as a separate company to come clean up their mess. I have spend thousands of dollars on their heater.

While I have lived here they make themselves at home when they come to the property. I had friends in town visiting and we were all in my room and they told me there were people in the yard, the landlords were showing people around the yard. This was not a isolated incident. They would also come pick peaches off the trees in the yard as well. When we moved in we were told that they would come to the property but only be by the barn, this was not the case. Last weekend they were here and they went in to our garage without asking.

She has also asked me to pay for other general upkeep such as water filters, a chimney inspection and sealant for the pavers in the backyard. I asked her if I could move out about a month ago and she said that was fine as long as I paid for half of the pool liner and the landscaping, she even said she would take less money for the house if she needed to. Now she is saying I have to fill the propane tank and gas tank, which was not done when I moved in. She also said the pool liner must be in which is schedule for two weeks however she will not list the house before then and says if she does not get what I am paying I am responsible for the difference. When I asked why she was ok with listing it with things incomplete when I moved in and not now she got aggressive as she always does.

I am wondering if I have any legal grounds to terminate this lease immediately and receive my deposit back as I have already spent thousands of dollars on this home I will get no return on? I have tried to compromise (ie. pay for the pool liner) however she just keeps adding to the list to try to get everything she can out of me. Thank you for your time.


The landlord has made the living conditions hostile since I moved in. She is very irrational and when I try to have conversations with her to discuss compromises she will not listen, this has made it very difficult for me to feel comfortable in this home.

When I moved in I was made aware of a few things. Firstly, while the landscaping was not complete upon moving in that she had hired someone to complete the landscaping and after that was complete it would be my responsibility. She hired a friend to do the landscaping and he took over a month and never finished the job and was randomly in our yard regularly making it uncomfortable for us to be outside. This season, we had trouble finding someone to come landscape for us but eventually did get someone out here but it was not up to her specifications. She is now insisting to move out I must pay her husband $1000 to landscape the yard and buy more mulch. She said we are responsible for the beds her friend never finished as well. We bought mulch for the first round of landscaping and she said it was unfit to use as it was not treated and would attract termites, after contacting landscaping companies and doing independent research I learned that this is not true. When i confronted her about this she got angry and said that that is what she believed to be true and that was what I must purchase.

Next, the carport on the house was not complete and she said it would be done by June 1. It was not done until Mid-July and we had construction workers in and out of our basement to use the bathroom. When it was complete her husband and the workers cooked pork chops under it and had a barbecue without our permission.

She also had made us aware that her daughter in law had thrown shock in to the pool causing some fading on the liner and asked that we not do the same. The liner did fade a bit while we were living there however they had removed two trees and two different pool companies told us because it was a very old liner this could have caused the fading. She insisted we put shock in it like her daughter in law and made me pay for half of a new liner as well as find the pool company to replace it.

This winter I spent a lot of time with no heater. She had put in the lease we were to call a warranty company if anything went wrong so her and her husband were not responsible. Every time we called the warranty company they would take days to get out and never fix the heater right so I would end up paying the deposit to the company as well as a separate company to come clean up their mess. I have spend thousands of dollars on their heater.

While I have lived here they make themselves at home when they come to the property. I had friends in town visiting and we were all in my room and they told me there were people in the yard, the landlords were showing people around the yard. This was not a isolated incident. They would also come pick peaches off the trees in the yard as well. When we moved in we were told that they would come to the property but only be by the barn, this was not the case. Last weekend they were here and they went in to our garage without asking.

She has also asked me to pay for other general upkeep such as water filters, a chimney inspection and sealant for the pavers in the backyard. I asked her if I could move out about a month ago and she said that was fine as long as I paid for half of the pool liner and the landscaping, she even said she would take less money for the house if she needed to. Now she is saying I have to fill the propane tank and gas tank, which was not done when I moved in. She also said the pool liner must be in which is schedule for two weeks however she will not list the house before then and says if she does not get what I am paying I am responsible for the difference. When I asked why she was ok with listing it with things incomplete when I moved in and not now she got aggressive as she always does.

I am wondering if I have any legal grounds to terminate this lease immediately and receive my deposit back as I have already spent thousands of dollars on this home I will get no return on? I have tried to compromise (ie. pay for the pool liner) however she just keeps adding to the list to try to get everything she can out of me. Thank you for your time.
 
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I suggest you retread your lease.
Nothing you've posted would allow you to legally break your lease.
There are very few situations where one can break a lease legally, after an exhausting effort.
You can negotiate a buyout, if your landlord agrees.
Otherwise, prepare to submit your non-renewal notice as described in your lease for terminating the lease at its end.
 
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