Source: https://ipropertymanagement.com/laws/breaking-a-lease-in-nebraska
Timestamp: 2020-06-03 20:47:42
Document Index: 18492651

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 76', '§ 76', '§ 76', '§ 76', '§ 76', '§76', '§76']

Breaking a Lease in Nebraska [2020]: ALL Legal Reasons
Breaking a Lease in Nebraska
Find out when a tenant can legally break a lease in Nebraska, when they can’t, and whether or not a landlord is required by Nebraska 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 Nebraska to end a tenancy in general.
Lease Termination Notice Requirements in Nebraska
In Nebraska, a tenant is not required to provide notice for fixed end date leases, the lease expires on the last day of the lease. Nebraska tenants have to provide written notice for the following lease terms:
Notice to terminate a week-to-week lease. Seven days prior to the termination date specified in the notice. (§§ 76-1437(1))
Notice to terminate a month-to-month lease. 30 days prior to the periodic rental date specified in the notice. (§§ 76-1437(2))
Conditions for Legally Breaking a Lease in Nebraska
There are a handful of scenarios where a tenant can legally break a lease in Nebraska without penalty. We’ll go through each of them below.
In Nebraska, 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska landlord-tenant law.
According to the Nebraska state law (§§ 76-1419), landlord duties to provide habitable premises include the following:
Compliance. Comply, after written or actual notice, with the requirements of the applicable minimum housing codes materially affecting health and safety.
Repairs. Make all repairs and do whatever is necessary, after written or actual notice, to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition.
Common Areas. Keep all common areas in a clean and safe condition.
Maintenance. Maintain in good and safe working order and condition all electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating, air-conditioning, and other facilities and appliances, including elevators, supplied or required to be supplied.
Trash. Provide and maintain appropriate receptacles and conveniences for the removal of trash and other waste incidental occupancy and arrange for their removal.
Heat. Supply running water and reasonable amounts of hot water at all times and reasonable heat 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 Nebraska, a tenant has the right to receive at least a one-day notice and entry allowed only at reasonable times (§§ 76-1423(1)). There are situations, such as in emergencies or under a court order, when the landlord does not have to provide notice to enter. A tenant must usually grant the landlord access if the landlord has given proper notice and the landlord is trying to enter the unit for a lawful reason, such as to show the unit to a prospective tenant or to make a necessary repair.
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 Nebraska, landlords are not allowed to lockout tenants (§§ 76-1436).
Nebraska has no written landlord-tenant provisions in place to protect tenants who are victims of domestic violence. However, (The Nebraska Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Coalition) provides references to support organizations by county. If you are confronting a domestic violence situation (this can also be stalking), and want to move, check with local law enforcement regarding special state laws that may apply in domestic violence situations.
Examples of Insufficient Justification for Lease Breaking in Nebraska
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 Nebraska:
Landlord’s Responsibility to Rerent in Nebraska
Nebraska 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 Nebraska Code §§76-1405 and §§76-1432(3), landlords must make reasonable efforts to rerent the unit instead of charging you for the total remaining rent due under the lease. If your landlord rerents the property quickly, all you’ll be responsible for is the amount of time the unit was vacant.
Nebraska 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska
If your lease does not prohibit subletting, then you are in the clear to do so. However, your lease might contain a clause requiring you to obtain your landlord’s approval prior to subletting. To get landlord approval you will want to send them a letter through certified mail, with a return receipt requested, outlining the terms of the sublet lease agreement. Certified mail is the only proof of delivery that most courts will accept in case you need proof that you notified your landlord. The letter should include the following information:
Additional Resources for Nebraska Tenants & Landlords: