Landlord and Tenant Rights and Responsibilities

questions & answers

Question: Can I be charged rent if I do not reside in the house anymore?

Answer: A rental agreement is a kind of contract, which generally means that so long as a rental agreement exists, both parties are required to continue to meet their obligations under the agreement. A tenant who moves out of the rented dwelling before the rental agreement expires may want to provide the landlord with written notice – because if the rental agreement contains an early termination clause, then it will go into effect, and if the rental agreement does not contain such a clause, then the tenant’s written notice will trigger the landlord’s duty to “mitigate” (reduce) any monetary damages that the landlord may suffer as a result of the tenant leaving early (A.R.S. 33-1305(A)). (The landlord will be required to try to find another tenant.)