Source: https://ipropertymanagement.com/laws/breaking-a-lease-in-north-dakota
Timestamp: 2020-08-06 12:37:13
Document Index: 209727130

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 47', '§ 47', '§ 47', '§ 47', '§ 47', '§ 47', '§ 32', '§ 47', '§ 47']

Breaking a Lease in North Dakota [2020]: ALL Legal Reasons
Breaking a Lease in North Dakota
Find out when a tenant can legally break a lease in North Dakota, when they can’t, and whether or not a landlord is required by North Dakota law to make reasonable effort to rerent.
Before we address the legally acceptable reasons to get out a lease early without penalty, it’s important to know the notice requirements in North Dakota to end a tenancy in general.
Lease Termination Notice Requirements in North Dakota
In North Dakota, a tenant is not required to provide notice for fixed end date leases (§ 47-16-14). North Dakota tenants have to provide written notice for the following lease term:
Notice to terminate a week-to-week lease. One-week written notice (§ 47-16-15(1))
Notice to terminate a month-to-month lease. One-month written notice, unless the parties agree in writing to a longer notice period. (§ 47-16-15(2))
Notice to terminate a yearly lease with no end date. One-month written notice (§ 47-16-15(1))
Conditions for Legally Breaking a Lease in North Dakota
There are a handful of scenarios where a tenant can legally break a lease in North Dakota without penalty. We’ll go through each of them below.
In North Dakota, the term “servicemember” means a member of the armed forces, commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), commissioned corps of the Public Health Service, and the activated National Guard.
Every state has specific health and safety codes that provide minimum standards for rental units, and North Dakota is no different.
If those standards are not met, proper notice is given by the tenant and the repairs/fixes are still not made within the allowable time period, a tenant would be considered “constructively evicted”. As a result, the obligations of the tenant under the lease are no longer required, given that the landlord has not met their own responsibilities under North Dakota landlord-tenant law.
According to North Dakota state law, landlord duties to provide habitable premises include the following (§ 47-16-13.1):
Compliance. Comply with the requirements of applicable building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety.
Repairs. Make all repairs and do whatever is necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition.
Common Areas. Keep all common areas of the premises in a clean and safe condition.
Trash Removal. Provide and maintain appropriate receptacles and conveniences for the removal of ashes, garbage, rubbish, and other waste incidental to the occupancy of the dwelling unit and arrange for their removal.
Heat. Supply running water and reasonable amounts of hot water at all times and reasonable heat between October 1 and May 1 except where the building that includes the dwelling unit is not required by law to be equipped for that purpose, or the dwelling unit is so constructed that heat or hot water is generated by an installation within the exclusive control of the tenant and supplied by a direct public utility connection.
Landlord entry. In North Dakota, no specific amount of notice is required by statute. The landlord must give notice of intent to enter at a certain time, and receive the tenant’s consent to enter. Then tenant can’t unreasonably withhold consent, and the tenant’s failure to object to the notice would constitute presumed consent. Entry is allowed only at reasonable hours and in a reasonable manner. (§ 47-16-07.3(2))
Changing the locks. In some states, if the locks are changed by a landlord without the tenant’s permission or without the protection of specific language in the lease agreement, this can qualify as being “constructively evicted”, and could relieve the tenant of their duties of the lease. In North Dakota, landlords are not allowed to lockout tenants, and if the landlord locks the tenant out of the premises in an unlawful attempt to evict, the tenant may sue the landlord for triple damages. (§ 32-03-29)
North Dakota provides tenants who are victims of domestic violence with special rental provisions for their protection. If you are confronting a domestic violence situation (this can also be stalking), and want to move, check with local law enforcement regarding state laws that may apply in domestic violence situations. Some statutes the state of North Dakota provides for victims of domestic violence include (§ 47-16-17.1):
Proof of Status. The notice required of the tenant must state that the tenant fears imminent domestic violence from a person named in a court order or qualified restraining order or other record filed with a court.
Protection from Termination. The landlord cannot terminate a tenancy, fail to renew a tenancy, or refuse to enter into a rental agreement with a victim of domestic violence.
Early Termination Rights. If a tenant gives the landlord written notice, the landlord shall release the tenant and any immediate family member of the tenant from the rental agreement without penalty. The tenancy terminates on the date stated in the written notice.
Tenant Information Privacy. The landlord may not disclose information provided to the landlord by a tenant documenting domestic violence. The information may not be entered into any shared database or provided to any person.
Examples of Insufficient Justification for Lease Breaking in North Dakota
Since state landlord-tenant laws vary, the following reasons may legally permit a tenant to terminate their tenancy early in other states but are not applicable in North Dakota:
Landlord’s Responsibility to Rerent in North Dakota
North Dakota state law does require landlords to take reasonable steps to rerent their unit when a tenant breaks their lease. This is referred to as the landlord’s duty to “mitigate damages”. This means that if you leave your lease early and your landlord rerents the unit before your lease ends, then the rent received from the new tenant will apply to your debt.
According to North Dakota law, landlords are required to make reasonable efforts to rerent the unit instead of charging you for the total remaining rent due under the lease. (§ 47-16-13.5 and 47-16-13.7) If your landlord rerents the property quickly, all you’ll be responsible for is the amount of time the unit was vacant.
North Dakota tenants who break their lease early without proper justification should still plan on losing at least one month’s rent, even though the landlord has a responsible to rerent. In North Dakota and other states where the law requires the landlord to make a reasonable effort to rerent, judges in civil courts commonly award landlords with at least one month’s rent, no matter how quickly the unit is rented.
Tenant’s Right to Sublet in North Dakota
Additional Resources for North Dakota Tenants & Landlords: