Can a domestic violence victim end a lease early in Utah?
In Utah, a renter who is a victim of domestic violence may end all future obligations under the rental agreement by giving the owner a court order protecting the renter or a police report showing the renter is a victim and not the predominant aggressor, a written notice of termination stating the move-out date, and a termination fee equal to one month of rent. The renter must vacate within 15 days after the day the written notice of termination is provided and must pay rent for any occupation during that 15-day period. The renter must otherwise be in compliance with the rental agreement, and may not use this right after a notice of eviction has been served. The renter remains liable for any financial obligation owed before the notice was given. Ending the renter’s obligations does not end the rental agreement for any other person entitled to occupy the unit. In the same section, a renter who is a crime victim may require the owner to install a new lock at the renter’s cost on providing a protective order or police report, and the owner must refuse to give a key to the new lock to the perpetrator. An owner may not restrict a renter’s ability to ask a public safety agency for help, or penalize or evict a renter for reasonable requests for that help. This is Utah Code § 57-22-5.1.
| What | Utah |
|---|---|
| Ending the lease early | Written notice, court order or police report, 1 month fee |
What the statute says
“A renter who is a victim of domestic violence may terminate all of the renter’s future obligations under a rental agreement if the renter:”
Quoted word for word from the section’s text.
Source
Utah Code § 57-22-5.1
Read the statute in the Utah Code (Utah Legislature): le.utah.gov.
Checked against the statute on November 15, 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 for Domestic Violence: Laws by State — How a domestic violence victim can end a lease early, with the notice, documents and rent rule in each of the 39 jurisdictions with a statute.
Compare this rule in every state
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The same question in other states
- Arizona
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- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Illinois
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- Kentucky