What Is an Early Termination Fee?

By Erin Heck, Director of Partnerships, ReletMe · Reviewed November 2026

An early termination fee is a charge a lease or later agreement sets for ending the rental contract before its scheduled end date.

The charge may be part of an optional buyout provision or a negotiated termination. Read the complete clause. Payment alone is not proof that every obligation ends: you may also need to give notice, leave by an agreed date, return keys, and pay a final balance.

How is it different from a reletting fee?

A reletting fee may cover the landlord’s work to rent the unit again while leaving a rent gap owed. An agreed termination provision may set conditions that end future liability. The name is less important than the actual terms. Ask the landlord which option applies and where the lease says your liability ends.

What should you check before paying?

• The fee amount and triggering event.
• Notice deadlines and the required move-out date.
• Whether future rent stops and from which date.
• Any cleaning, damage, utility, or deposit issues left open.

Request a written agreement and an itemized final ledger. Keep payment receipts and your key-return record. A separate unpaid charge may survive even when future rent ends. Local law may limit certain charges or require efforts to reduce avoidable losses.

If you can bring a replacement renter, ask whether an approved takeover changes the proposed termination arrangement. Get a clear answer about any fee already paid and any credit or refund agreed. Finding a renter does not automatically cancel the old terms. ReletMe cannot negotiate a buyout or collect your rent; work directly with the landlord and keep the resulting documents.