What happens if a tenant breaks a lease in Montana?
In Montana, a landlord whose tenant abandons the rental must make reasonable efforts to rent it at a fair rental. If the landlord does not use reasonable efforts to re-rent, or accepts the abandonment as a surrender, the rental agreement ends on the date the landlord had notice of the abandonment. If the landlord re-rents for a term that begins before the rental agreement expires, the agreement ends when the new tenancy begins. Separately, federal law lets a servicemember end a lease early after receiving qualifying military orders. This is Mont. Code § 70-24-426.
| What | Montana |
|---|---|
| Landlord’s duty to re-rent | Required by statute |
| What it means | The landlord must make reasonable efforts to re-rent |
Source
Mont. Code § 70-24-426
Read the statute in the Montana Code Annotated (Montana Legislature): leg.mt.gov.
Checked against the statute on November 13, 2026.
This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.
How Seayora uses this rule
Seayora keeps every lease’s term, rent and signers in one record and dates every change to it. This page states the state’s rule so a lease’s own early-termination and sublet clauses can be checked against it before the lease is signed.
Guides on this rule
- Breaking a Lease by State: What the Tenant Owes — What a tenant owes after leaving a lease early, and the 34 states whose statutes say whether the landlord must try to re-rent the home.
Compare this rule in every state
More Montana rules
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- Is there rent control in Montana?
- Can a landlord retaliate against a tenant for complaining in Montana?
- Can a tenant repair and deduct from rent in Montana?
- Can a tenant sublet in Montana?
- Do contractors charge sales tax in Montana?
- Every Montana rule on one page
The same question in other states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- California
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kansas