Writing A Hardship Letter Breaking Lease

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If you have signed a lease on a property, you will be contractually obliged to remain in that property for a set period of time. However, situations may change and they may force you to to break the lease. A situation of financial hardship may be accepted for this, although you will have to write a formal letter to your landlord.

Some Basic Guidelines in Writing the Hardship Letter

The said hardship letter is a formal business letter. This means it must be properly formatted and addressed. It must also not contain any grammar or spelling errors. The letter has to be factual, short, and to the point.

Indicate who you are and which unit you currently lease. Explain when your lease started, and state that there has been a significant change in your financial situation, which is forcing you to break your lease. State that you hope the landlord will agree to breaking the lease without charging you a monetary penalty for doing so.

Explain How Your Situation Has Changed

Discuss that particular change in your financial situation that is causing you to break your lease. Some commonly accepted reasons are divorce or separation, a failing business, death in the family, and sudden illness or disability. Specify your reasons and provide evidence through documents. Elucidate on how this situation has impacted your financially where you are no longer able to pay for the lease payments. Provide copies of your other bills as evidence of this.

Make a Goodwill Gesture

In order to appease your landlord, you may want to make a goodwill gesture. For instance, you can offer to help in finding a new tenant by advertising through your social media accounts. You could also suggest, if that is the case, that you already know someone who would be happy to sublet the property until the end of your lease arrangement. Subletting is usually not accepted under a lease arrangement, however, so make it clear that you have not set this in motion yet, but that you feel it could be a good opportunity to resolve the situation.

Should subletting not be an option for you or for your landlord, then you may need to request that the penalty associated with breaking the lease be waived. The nature of this penalty is detailed in your original lease arrangement. It is usually a number of months’ rent, which means that it can be quite substantial. You may need to explain, therefore, that the situation you are in has been completely unexpected and has already caused you some financially hardship, and that having to pay such a huge penalty would be impossible for you.

Ending the Letter

In ending the letter, make sure that your landlord understands that your situation is beyond your control, and that you are willing to resolve it in the best way possible. Remember to keep photocopies of your letter and that you send it by registered post. Do also follow up with your landlord if there has been no reply within one week.

Hardship Letter Breaking Lease Example

{Your Name}
{Your Address}
{Your Phone #}

{Date}

To Whom It May Concern:

I am the tenant living in {rental unit} at {address}. I have been residing there since {month, date}. I am writing because my financial situation has changed in recent weeks. I need to break my lease early, and I am hoping I can do so without monetary penalty.

My income has become significantly reduced recently, due to {sickness, death in the family, job loss, etc. Be specific}. The money I have remaining every month must go to {food, car payment, medication, etc.} and so I do not have enough left over to pay for rent.

I am happy to help advertise my apartment for another tenant, or to look for someone to sublet the unit until my lease is up. Since subletting is restricted in the tenant handbook, I wanted to check in with you on the proper procedure before taking that approach.

If subletting is not an option, I hope that there is a way that you can reduce or forgive the penalty for breaking the lease early. I am not trying to avoid my responsibilities, but these new circumstances have been both unexpected and financially devastating.

I apologize for any inconvenience this causes you and I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Sincerely,

{Sender Name}

Writing A Hardship Letter Auto Loan

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A hardship letter auto loan has to be properly written to maximize its chances of being successful. This means that it has to be formatted the right way, and that it includes the correct information. This will greatly increase the chances of the request being granted. The letter is a formal letter in which a creditor is requested by the letter writer to help financially by changing the terms and conditions of the loan. Some lenders have specific forms for this, which you should complete as well as sending the letter.

What to Include in Your Hardship Letter

In hardship letters, you have to clearly explain what is happening, without becoming emotive. It is about presenting the facts, rather than laying on the waterworks. Tell your lender if your income has been reduced, if you have lost your job, or if you have had unexpected expenses due to medical bills. Tell the lender what you have done to try and keep up with your bills, such as taking on a part time job or giving up on a gym membership. Do not tell your lender how all of that has made you feel, however, because that is irrelevant.

Key Tips in Writing a Hardship Letter Auto Loan

Naturally, you must make sure that the letter is addressed to the right person and that it is written in the right language, and is free from grammatical and spelling errors. Some key tips are mentioned below.

  1. Make sure that your letter is one page only.
  2. Include succinct, objective, and clear facts only.
  3. State that you wish to resolve the debt.
  4. Include all relevant documentation that proves your hardship and your efforts to turn it around.
  5. Thank your creditor for taking the time to read your letter and considering your request.

Things to Avoid When Writing a Hardship Letter Auto Loan

  1. Making your situation sound more dramatic than it is, or otherwise exaggerating your hardship.
  2. Lying or including any false claims, even if you believe they cannot be checked.
  3. Promising things that you cannot guarantee, such as catching up with missed payments by a certain date.
  4. Blaming your lender for the difficulty that you are now in.
  5. Writing an ultimatum, such as stating that you will claim bankruptcy if they don’t help you.

Remember that when the auto loan was provided to you, it was on the basis that you could afford it under your circumstances at that time. Whatever circumstances that have caused you to be in hardship right now, are not the fault of the lender. In fact, if at all possible, you should avoid placing blame at all. Do not use the word “because” in the hardship letter too often, in other words.

A final thing to remember is that you have to make sure that you take a photocopy of everything that you send to them, and that you use registered mail with receipt. Do also follow up after a week, to make sure that your letter has been received.

Auto Loan Hardship Letter Example

{Your Name}
{Your Address}
{Your Phone #}
{Your Loan #}

{Date}

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing this letter because I am no longer able to meet the monthly payment for my car loan. I have currently paid {amount} of {total}. I am due to pay {amount} for the next {number} months. I cannot pay that amount, but I could pay {amount} over the next {number} months instead.

I am unable to make my payments on time because of a sudden financial crisis. In the last few weeks I have had to cope with {job loss, family member death, be specific}. I am working hard to get back on my feet, but if I am unable to reduce or extend my payment period then I will have to file for bankruptcy, which I am hoping to avoid.

I need my car for {job purposes} and am hoping to avoid repossession. I am attaching my financial documents such as {documents}, which should indicate the suddenness and seriousness of my situation.

I look forward to hearing from you soon so that we can work out an acceptable payment plan for the future.

Sincerely,

{Sender Name}