You, Mr. Landlord, are pleased to find qualified tenants for your rental home. The man and woman sign a one-year lease on Tuesday.

On Thursday, the tenant contacts you and tells you that they have changed their mind because his girlfriend thinks he sees “dead people” in the bathroom.

He hopes you cancel the lease!

What do you do, hire an exorcist?

No, you smile and explain softly … “Listen Bub, that was a legal contract you signed. It binds the two of us to everything that is printed on those sheets of paper … the laws say so, that’s who! “

And that’s true … both parties must agree to break a legal contract … it can’t be done unilaterally (normally). In this case, the contract is the well-prepared solid gold lease.

Is your reluctant tenant hooked on the value of a full year’s monthly lease payments?

It makes us tough landlords cry … but you’re probably not obligated to pay rent for the entire year.

The courts have ruled that the landlord must make a good faith effort to find a new tenant for the unit as soon as possible.

As soon as one is found, the original crybaby is released from the contract.

The cost of renting to the new tenant can be deducted from the security deposit you collected from Mr. Crybaby. That includes advertisements and a copy of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas that he gives as a parting gift.