Can I break my lease in NSW, and what does it cost?

Usually a set fee: 4, 3, 2 or 1 weeks' rent, depending how much of the lease has passed.

Your clock

• 14 days: Free exits
• 14 days: After their notice, near term end
• 21 days: 2+ year lease, after a rise notice
• 21 days: Month-to-month

The rule in NSW

• Applies to terms up to 3 years signed after 23 March 2020.
• Free exits: social housing offer, aged care, landlord breach, a sale you were not told about.
• Domestic violence: end any lease at once, no penalty, with the set notice and evidence.

Longer leases use real costs, which they must try to reduce.

What to send

I am leaving [address] on [date]. Please explain any fee in writing.

Who to call

• NSW Fair Trading, 13 32 20
• NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), 1300 006 228
• Tenants' Union of NSW (Tenants Advice and Advocacy Services), 1800 251 101

Where this comes from

• NSW Fair Trading: Breaking a fixed-term residential tenancy early
• NSW Fair Trading: Ending a tenancy because of domestic violence and abuse
• NSW Fair Trading: Minimum notice periods for ending a tenancy

General information, not legal advice on your situation.