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I have a 6 month lease in my apartment. I did not know the complex was a place where drugs were sold and gangs hung out and competed for the territory. I am at my wits end and need to get out of this lease. How do I go about doing it without having to paying a penality. I don't have any money to pay for lawyer or to pay out my lease.
Optional Information: State/Country relating to question: Massachusetts Already Tried: I am so scared I am frozen into no action. I don't know what to do or where to turn.
Hello - Thank you for contacting JustAnswer. My name is Michael; I look forward to helping you with your criminal problem today.
I'm going to give you a couple options you have under the law.
First, you need to read your entire lease word for word. Don't skip anything. Look for anything that could be possibly construed as them promising to deliver a safe, legal environment. If there is something like that (which I highly doubt is included), you can argue they expressly breached the lease and therefore you are legally able to cancel with no penalty.
No there is no mention of these words.
More than likely, that first option won't work. Your only other option is to argue that the complex constructively breached their agreement by allowing illegal activity to go down on their property. To do this, you would basically breach your lease and wait for them to sue you, then you would raise your defense in Court to the Judge. You would probably need evidence of the illegal activity plus evidence that they knew it was going on and did nothing to stop it.
In sum, you probably don't have a very good chance of getting out of it, but it's worth a try to make your argument if you're canceling the lease anyway.
Are you still there?
Who do I turn to for help. I have no money for a lawyer. Where can I get a public defender who will not charge me and help me get OUT of this place?
Thanks for your response. Depending on how much money you make, you may be able to go to your local Legal Aid office. I would search Google and the phone book for one in your area. Also, remember that breaking your lease is not a crime, so you won't get a public defender. In the end, if a low cost option isn't available, you may have to represent yourself. Good luck!MichaelDon't forget to rate me positively if you valued my time. Any other questions, just ask!
Experience: Licensed Missisippi Attorney; Criminal Law, Family Law, Personal Injury, and Civil Defense