If you were given a month s free rent or a reduction in rent when you signed the agreement, you may have to pay this back as well. A tenant may break a fixed term tenancy agreement if the landlord is not fulfilling their duties, but this would require the approval of a Court. Ask the Landlord and Tenant Advisory Board for further advice if this is the case. You could sublet your place with your landlord's permission. You would then become the landlord of the person you sublet to, and liable for the balance of the lease agreement.
Some people advertise to find a suitable tenant to take over a lease.
If the landlord approves, the new tenant must pay a new deposit and sign a new agreement, at which point your lease is no longer in effect. Read your agreement. Understand the terms before you sign. Otherwise, breaking your lease can be a very expensive lesson. Copyright 1995 - 2001 City of Edmonton.