Leaving apartment before end of period

Discuss it with your landlord.

No one goes to jail over an apt lease, esp if theyve paid cash upfront for all the months theyre gonna be staying there..

pva 74asked . . . . hi dear friends.i need to leave my apartment before my en of contract (February 2025).i want to leave end of October 2024.my friend say, you can go in jail if you leave before !!!how can i need to find the thru?thanks for your help

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First things first

You want to leave, did you find a new apartment?

(1) Make arrangements with the landlord for a buyout.

(2) Or live there till the end of the lease.

(3) Or move and keep paying the rent.

(4) Or maybe you can sublease and subsidize a new renter as an incentive.

If you break the contract the landlord can file a case at the small claims court (if the rental contract is clean on his side (e.g. he has a business permit and the DOT approved the aparment for rent)). If you leave the Philippines for good it might not be a problem for you and the landlord might not even file a case as this is a lot of work.

If you stay in the Philippines and there is a case from the small claims court against you, you need to pay and as long as you have not paid, they can block your departure from the Philippines at the immigration. For an unpaid bill you will not go to jail, however, it is more likely that a bill collection agency knocks at your door at the new address in the Philippines.

A better solution is to make an agreement with the owner of the apartment. If apartments are in high demand in your region, the owner might make a deal. e.g. 50% of the rental price. if something happend over there (e.g. you want to leave because it is unsafe to stay there) you might even get a better deal.

all the best

Andy