conversation: User (FMLatex): "I've been renting on an apartment complex with 280 units. I have a 1 bedroom apartment and I pay close to $4000 a month. The startup I work for is having financial difficulties and I haven't been paid my last salary.\n\nI've been living in this apartment complex for the last 30 months. My lease was renewed in may 2015 for another year. Leases cannot be longer-term so every time I had to renew it increased 10-20%.\n\nNow that things are going south, I cannot afford living here anymore.\n\nI've paid this month's rent and turned my 30day notice but they presented me a lease addendum contract with 2 options:\n- pay $6500 right now to break the lease contract \n- become liable for the rent (without being allowed to live in my unit) till someone rents it. \n\nI don't have $6500 siting in my bank account and the alternative seems like a joke. They even have a clause that says that if they rent it below the price I'm paying I'm liable for the price difference till the end of my original lease (May 2016). There's no clause preventing them to raise the lease to a rate that no-one will be willing to rent it. \n\nI didn't sign or agree to any of the options but they emailed me saying that if I don't pick one it will default to the second option.\n\nI'm moving back to my country in 2 weeks and the salaries there won't be even close to what I was making in SF. I  want to leave things in order but I have no clue what to do.\n\nAny advice would be greatly appreciated.\n\n\nEdit: thanks guys for the overwhelming response.\nI'll try to summarize the key points for people in similar situations.\n\n- if you have a reasonable landlord, discuss the issue ASAP. In my case, I'm sure if I had given a 60 or 90 day notice it would have been easier to find a new tenant by the time I leave.\n- if you are planning to break your lease, law is against you. Plan ahead and expect 2 months worth of rent as penalty.\n- do your best to line up a new tenant by the time you leave and work with your landlord to make it happen.\n- landlords are obligated to do everything possible to put your unit to market so you shouldn't get screwed deliberately if you are dealing with honest management. With that said, work with them and make sure your unit is being listed and keep an eye and get in touch often to see if it's getting rented or if you can do anything to help make it happen.\n- foreigners working in the US with a VISA might think about just leaving the country and forget what happened. Your debt might end up in the Civil court and you will be guilty by default. It will end up in your record and might backfire if you ever comeback to the US. Forget about working in the US. Visiting the US as a tourist might be also risky. Life is a long path and you never know where you are going to be in a few years but writing off a country like US forever to avoid terminating your lease in good faith seems extremely stupid.\n\nOn a final note, everybody pays less rent than I  do. That's the price engineers pay in Silicon Valley to let you spend all day long on your phones using Google, Facebook, reddit, and what not. Enjoy it.\n"
  Self: "Texas here. Silicon Valley is a really nice place but only to visit. I was working on a contract for google. Cupertino, San Jose, Oakland, Santa Clara, Palo Alto, and Sunnyvale are full of rooms for rent, either someone renting out a room in their house, garage  and so on. I decided to go with an apartment in santa clara. It was $1295 for a two bedroom and the deposit was the same.  Where were you staying?"
  