Im trying to legally get out of I lease of an apartment that the landlord should have never rented to me in the first place. I've already spoke to a lawyer and wont have a problem since the place was illegal to begin with. The landlord told us the other day that he will let us out of the lease if we repaint the one wall that we painted green. We did that and went there to collect our money and break the lease. He told my husband that he was deducting $500 so my husband walked away without anything. In the meantime I saw the apartment listed back in the paper. Can this landlord get someone else to sign the lease while we still technically have a lease at this residence. I should state that we never even lived there because the place was a mess and everything was brokenI saw the place while it was rented. The last tenants trashed it before they left.

Why did you sign the lease before you saw the place? Take him to small claims...you don't need a lawyer.

Most cities have a building and safety dept, notify them, that the place is illegal and your situation. The landlord cannot collect rent from you and the new tenant. Notify the attorney that you spoke with, more than likely a phone call or letter from them will alleviate the situation

What do you mean it was illegal to begin with? If you've spoken to a lawyer, did they tell you that the landlord could probably do this if you did sign a lease?I've always heard if you sign a lease, and you break it, that you not only might have to pay rent for the remainder of the lease, but you probably won't get any deposit back either.So it sounds to me like the landlord can probably do that.