Broke lease in AZ, but no judgment. Am I OK?

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Broke lease in AZ, but no judgment. Am I OK?

by Trish
(Scottsdale, AZ)

I moved out of an apartment after being late on rent. It did not go to court, and has no judgment. I was behind over $1000 plus late fees, and I did some damage to the place. Can this be sent to collections? Can it show on my credit?

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Broke lease in AZ, but no judgment. Am I OK?

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Feb 12, 2011

Can I be sued for broken lease?
by: Debtcollectionanswers.com

Hi Trish:

It's always possible that your former landlord will turn your debt over to a debt collector. That could happen anytime.

Depending on how long ago you broke your lease, it's also possible that the landlord or the debt collector will sue you for the money you owe. In AZ, the statute of limitations on a written contract, like a lease, is 6 years and the 6 years begins on the date that you missed your first rent payment. Therefore, assuming you did not break your lease longer than 6 years ago, you are at risk for a lawsuit. If you are sued and end up with a judgment against you, that information will be in your credit history and will be very damaging.

Finally, even though you've not been sued yet, your former landlord may have reported your past due rent to the credit reporting agencies. If you want to know if this has happened, order a copy of each of your three credit reports. You are entitled to a free copy of each report every year and you can order them by going to https://www.annualcreditreport.com.

Best of luck.

Jun 15, 2011

Broken lease arizona, casa grande
by: Cox77

Hello. I signed a nine month lease and was told by the apartment manager that I could leave aft six months. I agreed to that and asked for a copy of the contract, but she never gave it to me. I gave my thirty day notice after seven months. At that time, the manager told me that I owe twelve hundred dollars because all the "discounts" I was getting are void due to me breaking my lease. Also, she told me if I idiot pay her in full,I would be charged an additional six hundred dollars. Can they get away with. This?

Reply from DebtCollectionAnswers.com:

We are not attorneys so we can't offer you legal advice, but if you signed a lease, then that is likely to take precedent over any verbal agreements. You'll need to check with you state attorney general's office or a consumer law attorney to find out what the landlord tenant laws are in your state, and whether this landlord is violating them.

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Broke lease in AZ, but no judgment. Am I OK?

Comments for Broke lease in AZ, but no judgment. Am I OK?

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Broke lease in AZ, but no judgment. Am I OK?