is only legal under certain circumstances, like if you’re a service member being deployed, you’re being stalked, or the unit is uninhabitable. If you need to break a lease but you don’t qualify for an exception, you may face financial consequences.

Signing a rental agreement is a serious commitment—but life happens! Maybe you lost your job and you can’t make rent. Maybe you need to relocate for military or health reasons. Getting out of a lease in Nevada is not impossible, though there may be consequences depending on how you approach the situation.

No matter your situation,

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When is breaking a lease legal in Nevada?

In general, Nevada law does not guarantee a renter’s right to break a lease ahead of time without consequences. However, there are a few exceptions that allow someone to terminate a lease early:

Active service members who are being relocated by the military can legally break a lease if they qualify under the

Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA)

Unsafe living conditions are a legal reason to break a lease, so long as you give the landlord an opportunity to remedy the problem. You can constructively evict yourself in this situation.

Landlord harassment and privacy violations may allow you to break a lease ahead of time, such as entry without proper notice or changing the locks.

Violations of the lease agreement may give you legal grounds to terminate a lease early, so long as you notify your landlord in writing.

Victims of sexual assault, stalking, and domestic violence may be allowed to break a lease in Nevada. The landlord is allowed to ask for documents to prove your claim.

Finally, Nevada allows qualified senior citizens and people with mental or physical health issues to break a lease early if they must relocate to access care that cannot be provided in the rental unit.

MORE: The best places to live in Nevada

What are the penalties for breaking a lease in Nevada?

If you qualify for one of the situations listed above, you can break a lease legally without consequence in Nevada. Otherwise, you will likely face financial penalties and legal consequences.

Let’s consider the fees that may be associated with breaking a lease early in Nevada. You may be subject to the following financial consequences:

Early termination fee, usually equal to two months’ rent

The entire rent remaining on the lease until a new tenant is found

The difference between the new tenant’s rate and your old rate, if the landlord is forced to lower the rent

If you don’t pay the fees promptly, your landlord could go to a collections agency and your credit score could be negatively affected. You may also be sued in small claims court if your landlord is particularly litigious.

Finally, you may struggle to rent another apartment if your landlord gives you a bad reference due to breaking your lease early.

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How to break a lease without a penalty in Nevada

The most important factor in breaking a lease legally in Nevada is giving proper notice.

For week-to-week leases, you must provide seven days’ written notice. For month-to-month leases, you must provide 30 days’ written notice. For fixed end-date leases, a tenant is not required to provide notice since the lease naturally expires on the day set out in the lease agreement.

You may deliver notice to your landlord in several ways in Nevada:

Mail a copy

Deliver a copy in person

Send it according to your landlord’s preferences according to the lease agreement

If you absolutely must break your lease early and you don’t qualify for any of the exceptions, there are a few tactics you can try to minimize the consequences.

Try transferring your lease via a subletter or attempt to locate a suitable tenant to replace you so the landlord does not experience a gap in tenancy.

You could attempt to negotiate terms with your landlord, such as agreeing to forfeit your security deposit instead of paying the full breakage fee. Perhaps they would be convinced that a new leasing schedule would be more competitive for finding renters, for example.

Either way, start the conversation with your landlord as soon as possible. Communicate clearly and you might be surprised at your landlord’s willingness to compromise.

MORE:

How to estimate the value of your personal belongings

How to save on renters insurance in Nevada

There are some things you can’t control, like needing to break your lease early. But paying a low rate for renters insurance is well within your grasp, thanks to the

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