virginia: I am thinking of getting out of my lease for the apartment that I am renting. Are there any Virginia laws which would apply a penalty for doing so?|||The answer to that lies in your lease agreement. Virginia law is very strict and verbose in most areas; however, when it comes to lease disputes, there is very little statuary law. Essentially, what you can do is break the lease by talking to your landlord and trying to resolve it that way and document everything. Take pictures of problems with the apartment, and document when you discussed them with the landlord. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING! Your landlord can try to collect the rent in small claims court. If he/she does, you can appeal the decision to District court which takes about 3-4 months, but the outcome is still directly related to what is written in your original lease agreement. You can argue that the living conditions are not reciprocal to the amount of rent you pay, but that is up to the court to decide. And don't forget...if your landlord is angry...he can list the break in the lease on your credit report as non-payment. Honestly, the best thing you can do is to talk to your landlord about options. If you really want out..consider making a deal that you pay for the listing fees in the newspaper to get a new tenant in your stead. It would be cheaper than rent and your landlord may just take your offer.|||There are no Virginia laws as such. Any penalty for termination of your lease contract is contained within your lease. If the lease contract offers no 'exit arrangements', then you are responsible for the rents for the premises until the lease expires. The landlord's only duty is to try to re-rent the premises to mitigate your damages.