Breaking a lease in Wyoming

Under the Wyoming Safe Homes Act, a tenant who leaves because of domestic abuse or sexual violence and gives you seven days' written notice before moving out is not liable for rent for the period after moving out. The tenant or a household member must have faced a credible imminent threat of domestic abuse or sexual violence at the premises, shown by medical, court or police evidence, or have been a victim of it on premises you own or control (W.S. 1-21-1303; W.S. 1-21-1304).

• For abuse or violence that already happened on the premises, the notice must give the reason, the date, and state that the tenant provided medical, court or police evidence. The abuse must have occurred within 60 days before the notice, or, if the tenant could not reasonably give notice in that time because of hospitalization, shelter, counseling or similar reasons, as soon as practicable after (W.S. 1-21-1303(b)).
• The Act is not a defense to rent owed for the time before the tenant left and gave notice, or to an eviction for rent unpaid before then (W.S. 1-21-1303(d)).
• These rights cannot be waived or modified in a lease or separate agreement (W.S. 1-21-1304).
• You may end the agreement yourself when a required repair would cost more than is reasonable, and a court may end it in a repair case (W.S. 1-21-1203(d); W.S. 1-21-1206(c)).See Tenant repair remedies on the Wyoming page
• The articles read for this page set no other early-termination right and no rule on re-renting after a tenant leaves; court decisions were not read (W.S. 1-21-1201 to 1-21-1211).

A tenant who is current on all payments and has reasonable cause, supported by evidence, to believe the unit falls short of the health and safety standards must notify you in writing of the condition and the fix requested. Within a reasonable time you must either begin correcting it or tell the tenant in writing that you dispute the claim. These notices go by certified mail or are served as for a notice to quit (W.S. 1-21-1203(b); W.S. 1-21-1206).

• If the repair would cost more than is reasonable given the rent and the nature of the property or agreement, you may refuse and end the agreement by written notice within a reasonable time, giving the tenant 10 to 20 days from the notice to find other housing. Rent is prorated to the move-out date and the balance is refunded with any deposit due (W.S. 1-21-1203(d)).
• If you do not respond or correct the condition within a reasonable time, the tenant may serve a notice to repair or correct condition that recites the first notice, states the days elapsed, lists what is still wrong, demands correction, and says the tenant will go to court if you do not begin reasonable corrective action within three days (W.S. 1-21-1206(b)).
• If you still do not correct or use due diligence, or you disputed the claim, the tenant may sue in circuit court. You must be given 3 to 20 days after service to appear. The court may award costs, damages including rent improperly kept or collected, a declaration ending the agreement, or an order to make reasonable repairs (W.S. 1-21-1206(c)).
• If the court ends the agreement, the tenant gets the balance of the rent and the deposit within 30 days of the order and must move out between 10 and 20 days after it (W.S. 1-21-1206(d)).
• These remedies belong only to a tenant who is complying with the tenant duties and prohibited-act rules. The article gives no right to withhold rent or to repair and deduct (W.S. 1-21-1206(a); W.S. 1-21-1201 to 1-21-1211).

Wyoming has no statute that sets a general rule on subletting a home. The lease controls, so state in it whether the tenant needs your written consent (W.S. 1-21-1201 to 1-21-1211).

The Wyoming articles read for this page set no notice period for ending a month-to-month tenancy. A tenant who holds over after the term ends may be evicted after the three-day notice to leave. Other parts of the Wyoming Statutes were not read on this question (W.S. 1-21-1002(a)(i); W.S. 1-21-1003).

• Holding over after the term is one of the grounds for an eviction case (W.S. 1-21-1002(a)(i)).See Eviction process on the Wyoming page

When the rental agreement ends you may apply the deposit to accrued rent, damage beyond reasonable wear and tear, cleaning the unit to its condition at the start of the agreement, and other costs the contract provides. Deliver or mail the balance and any prepaid rent, without interest, with a written itemization of deductions and the reasons, within 30 days after termination or within 15 days after you receive the tenant's new mailing address, whichever is later (W.S. 1-21-1208; W.S. 1-21-1209).

• If the unit is damaged, the deadline is extended by 30 days (W.S. 1-21-1208(a)).
• The tenant must tell you, within 30 days after termination, where the payment and notice may be delivered or mailed (W.S. 1-21-1208(a)).
• A deposit held and separately identified for utilities is refunded within 10 days after the tenant shows that all utility charges are paid. If the tenant makes no such showing within 45 days after termination, apply it to the tenant's utility debt within the next 15 days and pay any remainder within 7 days after that, or within 15 days after you receive the tenant's new mailing address, whichever is later (W.S. 1-21-1208(b)).
• If you unreasonably fail to follow these rules, the tenant may recover the full deposit and court costs. If you win and the court finds the tenant sued unreasonably, you may be awarded court costs (W.S. 1-21-1208(c)).
• Whoever holds the owner's interest when the agreement ends is bound by the deposit rules, so a buyer takes on the duty to return existing deposits (W.S. 1-21-1209).
• If the tenant's damage costs more than the deposit, the tenant stays liable for the rest, plus interest at 10 percent a year on unpaid amounts (W.S. 1-21-1211(b)).