breaking a lease?

It's been my experience that you will just forfeit your last month's rent and security deposit...pick up, move out, don't ask for your money back and you're pretty much done. I mean, sure there are probably some people that will try to force you to fulfill the lease, but most will just accept the extra money and rent it out again...

You can notify the Landlord that you will make the necessary repairs and deduct it from the rent. If you "skip out "it could effect your credit. I would call a lawyer and get the proper legal advise! Good Luck!

Lizard - That's great advice, although I think it would apply more to people that live in apartment complexes vs. privately owned homes. Most homeowners don't have access to TRW, TransUnion, Equifax, etc., so I would think they'd just clean up what's left and start looking for another tenent....but always better safe than sorry!

Scott,
being a landlord in MD, I would send the landlord a "Certified" letter ( w/ return receipt as proof of sending it) asking that the repairs be made, or you would be moving. Keep "copies" of everything!
Good Luck, Matt.

Down here, I'd just move out. A lazy landlord isn't going to make all those repairs, but you will make a hostile vibe going on. If they aren't motivated to keep up the place, they aren't going to bother to serve you and go through the legal process to enforce the lease, especially if it will highlight them being slum lords.

Marty's right regarding the credit concern.

I've watched friends down here try to work with their landlords to get things fixed and wait months and not even have hot water. I've been really lucky so far, but wouldn't bother to try and work it out if I wasn't.

Let

Just a little note!
Any Landlord with a lease, can turn over missed payments to a collection agency. The collection agency has full access to the credit reporting agencies even "down here"! Whatever down here means.