Early Termination Clause
in Your Lease
How this page is sourced
Statutes verified against primary state sources
Every statute cited here was read in its published text before this page went live: on the state's own site where that site can be reached, otherwise on a republished copy of the code. Court decisions are quoted from the published opinion and linked to it, so you can read the original yourself.
Primary sourcesNot legal advice
Content verified against primary state statutes before publicationLast updated: October 2026
What it actually means, what Utah law says, what's specific to Salt Lake City - and exactly what to do. In plain English.
Quick Summary - What You Need to Know
- The survivor fee is one month of rent, due on the later of the notice day or move-out day.
- You must move out within 15 days of the notice and pay rent for the days you stay.
- An ex parte civil protective order does not count as proof; a qualifying court order or police report does.
- The route closes once a notice of eviction is served, and a co-tenant's rental agreement continues.
- Separate exits cover undone repairs (§ 57-22-6) and a unit not delivered on time (§ 57-22-4.1(1)).
Count it for your dates
15 days: when does it end?
What it means: You must vacate the unit by this date, paying rent for any days you occupy it. Applies to a renter who is a victim of domestic violence and in compliance with the rental agreement; the route is closed once a notice of eviction is served (§ 57-22-5.1(7)) (Utah Code § 57-22-5.1(6)). Calendar arithmetic only; check how the section counts days before you rely on a date.
Copy and send: With your court order or police report, before any notice of eviction
Survivor notice of termination
Fill in the brackets and keep a copy of what you send.
How Utah compares
Wait before a statutory exit, state by state
0 days7 days14 days30 daysNo figureGuide coming soonYou are here
See all 27 cities as a chart
Figures are the state rule, or the stronger city ordinance where one exists. Verify the current law for your own situation before relying on it.
Understanding the Early Termination Clause
This page is for Salt Lake City renters who want to leave a lease before its end date, or who are checking the early termination clause before they sign. The key point: Utah's main statutory exit is for victims of domestic violence, and it sets a fee and a move-out deadline, not a waiting period.
Two other routes cover repairs the owner leaves undone and a unit not ready on time. Where none fits, the clause you signed answers the question. Military orders are covered below.
What renters assume
Salt Lake City's row on the chart reads no wait, so any Utah renter can hand back the keys tomorrow and owe nothing.
What is actually true
The no-wait reading belongs to the survivor route in § 57-22-5.1. It costs a fee of one month of rent, you must vacate within 15 days, and anything owed before the notice stays owed.
Twelve of the 27 rows in the comparison on this page carry no advance wait, and Salt Lake City is one of them. Twelve more read 30 days, two read 14 days, in Portland and Washington, and Miami's reads 7 days.
A zero does not mean the same thing in each of those twelve. Los Angeles carries a 14-day rent tail, Chicago asks for notice within 3 days, and Seattle, Denver and Boston read "No wait - leave on notice".
Salt Lake City's label reads "No wait; 1-month fee (survivors)", so the cost of leaving sits in a fee rather than in a rent tail.
The row also leaves two Utah clocks out. The survivor must move out within 15 days after the notice, which is a deadline rather than a wait, and the repair route in § 57-22-6 runs on the owner's corrective period of three calendar days or 10 calendar days.
Early Termination Clause Example - What the Wording Looks Like in Salt Lake City, UT
The sample clause below is real lease language - a court quoted it word for word, and then ruled on it. What the judge decided is at the bottom of this block.
Find the equivalent paragraph in your own lease and read the two side by side. The wording will differ; the moving parts rarely do.
LESSEE(S) MUST NOTIFY LESSOR SIXTY (60) DAYS PRIOR TO EARLY TERMINATION OF THIS AGREEMENT. IF LESSOR SO CHOOSES TO AGREE TO AN EARLY TERMINATION OF THIS AGREEMENT, LESSEE(S) AGREES TO PAY A FEE OF ONE MONTH’S RENT IN ADDITION TO THE REGULAR RENT UNTIL A TENANT SUITABLE TO LESSOR EXECUTES A NEW LEASE TERM.
Quoted from the published opinion in Oldendick v. Crocker, 2016-Ohio-5621 (Ohio Ct. App. 8th Dist. Sept. 1, 2016). Judicial opinions are not subject to copyright; the lease language is reproduced in limited part for commentary under 17 U.S.C. § 107.
What the 4 highlighted phrases mean
“SIXTY (60) DAYS”
This lease asks for warning before the exit. Utah's survivor route puts its clock after the notice instead. Under § 57-22-5.1(4) the renter gives “a written notice of termination that includes the date on which the renter intends to vacate”, and § 57-22-5.1(6) then requires the renter to vacate within 15 days after the notice is provided. That is a move-out deadline, not a wait.
See the example
“THIS AGREEMENT. IF LESSOR SO CHOOSES TO”
Here the exit waits on the landlord's choice. The steps in § 57-22-5.1(4) are the renter's own: compliance with the rental agreement, a court order protecting the renter or a police report documenting that the renter is a victim of domestic violence and not the predominant aggressor, the written notice, and the fee. No owner's approval appears among them.
See the example
“TO PAY A FEE OF ONE”
The price this lease names is the figure Utah's survivor section writes down. § 57-22-5.1(1)(h) defines the termination fee as “the equivalent of one month of rent under the rental agreement”, due under § 57-22-5.1(4)(d) on the later of the day the notice is given or the day the renter moves out. In Utah that figure comes from the statute for this route, not from the landlord's drafting.
See the example
“RENT UNTIL A TENANT SUITABLE TO”
This tail keeps rent running until the landlord accepts a replacement. Utah's survivor route ends the renter's future obligations instead, once the steps are met. The rental agreement carries on for others: under § 57-22-5.1(9) the termination “does not terminate the rental agreement for any other person entitled under the rental agreement to occupy the residential rental unit”.
See the example
Struck down as a penalty, on two independent grounds. First, the landlord had taken the fee out of the security deposit, and the deposit statute limits deductions to actual damages - so a stipulated fee could not be taken from it at all. Second, the court held that damages from breaking a residential lease are generally not hard to work out, and this landlord had had little difficulty identifying them.
How this state's law treats this clause
One court, one lease, one state. That answer is not automatically yours, and your lease may be worded to land differently. Use this to know what to look for and what to ask - your state's tenant hotline or a local tenant attorney can answer it for your document.
Utah Law on Early Termination Clause
- The exit turns on paperwork, not on a waiting period.
Read the law's words
Section 57-22-5.1(4) lets "A renter who is a victim of domestic violence" terminate "all of the renter's future obligations under a rental agreement" if the renter is in compliance with the rental agreement, provides "a court order protecting the renter from a domestic violence perpetrator" or "a copy of a police report documenting that the renter is a victim of domestic violence and is not the predominant aggressor", and gives "a written notice of termination that includes the date on which the renter intends to vacate". Under § 57-22-5.1(1)(a)(ii) an ex parte civil protective order does not count as a court order for this purpose. - The price is one month of rent plus any days the renter stays.
Read the law's words
Section 57-22-5.1(1)(h) defines the "Termination fee" as "the equivalent of one month of rent under the rental agreement", due under § 57-22-5.1(4)(d) on the later of the day the notice is given or the day the renter moves out. Section 57-22-5.1(6) requires the renter to "vacate the renter's residential rental unit within 15 days after the day on which the written notice of termination is provided" and to "pay rent for any occupation" during that period, and § 57-22-5.1(8) keeps the renter liable for anything owed before the notice. Section 57-22-5.1(5) allows the exit even if the renter fell behind on rent less than 30 days before the notice because of domestic violence, but that unpaid amount stays owed. - Two limits decide whether the route is open.
Read the law's words
Under § 57-22-5.1(7) a renter "may not terminate all of the renter's future obligations under a rental agreement under Subsection (4) after a notice of eviction is served on the renter", so timing matters. Under § 57-22-5.1(9) the termination "does not terminate the rental agreement for any other person entitled under the rental agreement to occupy the residential rental unit", so a co-tenant's lease continues. - Utah's other statutory exits run on the owner's failures.
Read the law's words
Under § 57-22-6, a renter in compliance with § 57-22-5 who serves a written notice of a deficient condition and chooses the rent abatement remedy has the rental agreement terminated if the owner fails to take substantial action within the corrective period (three calendar days for a habitability standard, 10 calendar days for a lease requirement); the owner must return the deposit and prorated prepaid rent, and the renter must vacate within 10 calendar days after the corrective period ends. Under § 57-22-4.1(1), if the owner fails to deliver possession on the date in the rental agreement, the renter may terminate by written notice. Check the current text of these sections before relying on them.
Sources include Utah Code § 57-22-5.1(4); Utah Code § 57-22-5.1(6); Utah Code § 57-22-5.1(1)(h); Utah Code § 57-22-5.1(7); Utah Code § 57-22-6(4)(a)(i); Utah Code § 57-22-4.1(1); Utah Code § 57-22-7; Utah Code § 57-20-1 - statutes change; verify the current text for your situation.
Under Utah Code § 57-22-5.1, a domestic violence victim in compliance with the rental agreement can end all future obligations by giving the owner:
- Proof. A court order protecting you (not an ex parte civil protective order), or a police report showing you are a victim and not the predominant aggressor.
- Written notice naming the date you will vacate.
- The fee of one month of rent, paid on the later of the notice day or move-out day.
You must vacate within 15 days after the notice, paying rent for those days. Rent missed less than 30 days before the notice because of domestic violence does not block the route, but it stays owed.
The route closes once a notice of eviction is served, and the agreement continues for anyone else entitled to live there.
A repair exit turns on the owner. Under § 57-22-6, if you are in compliance with § 57-22-5, served written notice of a deficient condition and chose rent abatement, the rental agreement ends when the owner takes no substantial action within three calendar days (habitability) or 10 calendar days (a lease requirement).
The owner returns the deposit and prorated prepaid rent, and you must move out within 10 calendar days after that period ends.
If you are in the military. A separate federal exit may apply to an active-duty servicemember, set out in our military lease guide. Our record of Utah's Title 57, Chapter 22 finds no lease exit written for servicemembers, and federal law is outside it.
What's Specific to Salt Lake City
Our record of the Salt Lake City Code, including the city's Fit Premises Ordinance (Chapter 18.96), finds no city early-termination right or notice period. What the city adds is paperwork.
Under § 18.96.040(A), each tenant must be given a copy of the lease, the rules, an inventory of the unit's condition, a list of appliances and furnishings and a summary of the chapter, and the owner must secure the tenant's signed acknowledgment. That copy is where your early termination clause will be. Confirm the current city code before relying on this.
The 15 days to move out under § 57-22-5.1(6) run from the day your notice is provided, so the notice address matters.
Under § 57-22-5.1(1)(h) the survivor fee is one month of rent. Check any larger figure against the section before paying it.
§ 18.96.040(A) says those go to each tenant when the rental agreement is entered into, with an inventory and an appliance list.
Under § 57-22-5.1(7) the survivor route closes once a notice of eviction is served, so the order of events decides whether it is open.
Sources
The law this guide relies on, and where to read it. Statutes change, so confirm the current text before you act on it.
- Utah Code § 57-22-5.1(4); Utah Code § 57-22-5.1(6); Utah Code § 57-22-5.1(1)(h); Utah Code § 57-22-5.1(7); Utah Code § 57-22-6(4)(a)(i); Utah Code § 57-22-4.1(1); Utah Code § 57-22-7; Utah Code § 57-20-1, read on web.archive.org. Read in the Utah Legislature's own Chapter 22 file as archived by the Wayback Machine on September 9, 2026, which prints § 57-22-5.1 as amended by Laws of Utah 2025, chapter 173, together with a version amended by Laws of Utah 2026, chapter 445, effective January 1, 2027, whose termination provisions read the same; le.utah.gov could not be reached directly, and FindLaw's copy, marked current as of January 1, 2025, prints the same termination text. The Salt Lake City Code was read on American Legal Publishing as current through Ord. 40-26, passed June 16, 2026 (2026 S-21); confirm the current text before relying on it.
Red Flags to Watch Out For
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One fee for every early move-out
A flat fee for any early exit ignores § 57-22-5.1, where a survivor pays one month of rent and future obligations then end.
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Rent billed after you have moved out
A survivor pays rent only for days occupied in the 15 days after notice (§ 57-22-5.1(6)). A bill to the end of the term uses a different clock.
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An ex parte order offered as proof
§ 57-22-5.1(1)(a)(ii) says an ex parte civil protective order does not count for the survivor route. A qualifying police report is the other document it names.
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Co-tenants told the lease ended with you
Under § 57-22-5.1(9) a survivor's exit does not end the rental agreement for anyone else entitled to live there. Tell them before you send notice.
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No copy of the lease ever handed over
§ 18.96.040(A) of the Salt Lake City Code says each tenant gets a copy of the lease, and the owner must secure a signed acknowledgment.
Your Rights as a Salt Lake City Tenant
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Leave without a waiting period as a survivor
With a court order or police report, a written notice and the fee, you end all future obligations under § 57-22-5.1(4). No owner's approval is among the steps.
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A one-month fee, not the rest of the term
The fee is one month of rent (§ 57-22-5.1(1)(h)), plus rent for the days you stay in the 15-day window.
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An exit when repairs go undone
Under § 57-22-6, a deficient condition left without substantial action through the corrective period ends the rental agreement for a renter who chose rent abatement.
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An exit when the unit is not ready
§ 57-22-4.1(1) lets you end the rental agreement by written notice if the owner fails to deliver possession on the agreed date.
What To Do - Step by Step
Match your situation to a route
Survivor: § 57-22-5.1. Unfixed deficient condition: § 57-22-6. Unit not delivered on time: § 57-22-4.1(1). If none fits, the clause you signed answers the question.
Gather the document the section names
A court order protecting you, other than an ex parte civil protective order, or a police report showing you are a victim and not the predominant aggressor.
Put the notice in writing with your move-out date
Name the day you will vacate and keep proof of the day you gave the notice, because the 15 days run from it.
Plan the money with the move
The fee is due on the later of the notice day or the move-out day. Rent for days you stay, and anything owed before the notice, stay payable.
Check the current text
Read the Utah sections on le.utah.gov and confirm the current Salt Lake City Code before relying on any figure here.
Get local advice before paying a fee
Take the lease, your notice and proof of the day you gave it to a Salt Lake City tenant lawyer or legal aid office.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Early Termination rules near Utah
The same clause in the nearest states we cover.
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