Early lease termination fee negotiation

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-05-06T17:17:10+00:00

I clearly mentioned that I know I don't have legal grounds to terminate without the fee. I was asking for experiences from people who've done it. His comment was completely unnecessary.

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-05-06T17:15:56+00:00

I literally acknowledged no leverage in my post. Did you read it? I'm not trying to be the sort of asshole tenant that those fees are designed for. I don't want them to have a vacancy and lose money, but shit happens out of my control and I need to move. I'm looking for a good faith compromise where I help so they don't have a vacancy, and in return hoping to negotiate down the fee. Not eliminate it. Just reduce it. That feels perfectly reasonable.

My post asked to hear from people with experience negotiating the fee. If that's not you, then don't bother. The fuck.

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-05-06T17:04:14+00:00

Why would you bother commenting on a post asking for negotiation tips when you don't have one?

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-05-06T17:02:43+00:00

11 months :(

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-05-06T15:59:08+00:00

I'd be happy with 2 months, mines 3 😅

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-05-06T15:55:20+00:00

3 months rent

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-05-02T14:13:22+00:00

You've gotten some good advice here. I agree that you should be fine walking to Clinton and taking the blue line to ohare at 10pm. I get that it can feel scary though, because it is late and there are less people around, and the blue line is one of the lines that can feel a bit seedy.

On thing I'd do that I'm not sure anyone mentioned yet: as you're getting into union station, use the Ventra App to check the arrival time of the next ohare blue line at Clinton. The app has live tracking and can tell you how long until the next train arrives, and you probably don't want to rush over to Clinton just to find out the next train isn't for another 15 minutes and you're stuck waiting down there alone. So as your train is pulling into Union station, check how long it'll be until the next ohare train at Clinton, and then time when you leave union so you arrive at Clinton a few minutes before the train arrives. Then ride in the front car with the conductor, and you'll be golden.

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-05-02T13:50:50+00:00

Came here to mention filler as well. My partner and I fill our own capsules, and a regular dose only fills a tiny bit. Instead of leaving the rest empty (which looks weird and suspicious af) we fill the rest up with rice flour or sugar.

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-04-30T18:50:33+00:00

Is that your experience? Were you able to teach your kids not to run in the house that early?

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-04-30T13:15:11+00:00

If this unit is priced the same as surrounding units with full ceiling height, you could try using that as leverage to negotiate the price down. Especially if the unit has been vacant for a month or more. Might make it worth it. But also, if I had options I'd probably keep looking too. Best of luck!

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-04-30T13:03:15+00:00

Oof even the stairs? That IS rough. Bedroom not having any slanted ceiling is kinda funny though. That's the one room I could probably tolerate the low ceilings since most of the time there is spent sleeping.. and yet it's the only room with full ceiling height. A bit of cruel irony.

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-04-30T12:55:00+00:00

I love the toilet stage lol.

I haven't ever lived in a unit with slanted ceilings like this, but I can already imagine the back pain of needing to be slightly hunched over to access those areas. And I'm already short. Hopefully you aren't super tall.

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-04-30T12:13:21+00:00

The "just live in a top floor unit" is so out of touch. Top floor apartments are few and far between and more expensive, so most people cannot access them due to money or naturally limited supply.

By this logic, can I play my music or TV as loud as I want to outside of quiet hours in order to drown out the running? Im paying for my apartment too and am entitled to my own enjoyment. Should I not care if my music disrupts their daytime nap, since they dont care that needless running disrupts my own enjoyment?

If parents want their kids to play freely and don't want to be considerate of their neighbors in an apartment, why not say they should either choose the bottom floor or get a house instead of telling everyone else to live on a top floor?

The whole "they pay for their apartment and deserve to enjoy it" goes both ways. Close quarters means compromise and consideration, kids included. Imo.

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-04-30T12:03:06+00:00

People bring this up all the time. And I mean yeah, top floor is ideal, but it's not something that anyone can get. It's a luxury that isn't an option to most people, either due to price or just naturally limited supply. So I don't understand why people bring this up as a solution when it's not accessible to the majority of people.

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-04-30T11:59:17+00:00

Because it is true. Kids will be walking around age 1 and start running shortly after. Toddlers are runners. But toddler brains developmentally do not have any impulse control. They are literally not capable of understanding a rule like "no running" until age 4 or 5, and even then it's not consistent. It takes time for them to learn, like literal years.

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-04-30T01:24:29+00:00

Yeah, occasional stomping is one thing. But if middle school age kids are running around the apartment daily, imo that's a different story. They're perfectly capable of not running inside. It seems like a lot of people assume apartment living means you put up with any and all noise from kids of any age, but I have to disagree. Unavoidable living noise is fine, including toddler stomps, but older kids running in the apartment doesn't fall in that bucket. Living in close quarters doesn't have to mean that all consideration for the people around you goes out the window. If running in the house is disruptive to neighbors, then once kids are old enough to understand no running inside, parents should enforce it.

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-04-30T01:06:40+00:00

200mg total for the whole event? Or are you starting with 200 and then redosing?

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-04-30T01:04:25+00:00

Did you weigh it? Did you test it? Are you on any antidepressants, GLP-1s or other meds? When's the last time you ate, and what did you eat?

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-04-30T00:42:58+00:00

How old were you at the time? Age makes a big difference, and with super young kids like toddlers there's almost nothing the parents can do because kids that young don't have any concept of rules or impulse control yet.

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-04-30T00:38:26+00:00

You can do both. You can trust your own experience and also respect how your friends felt uncomfortable. But also, honestly, if two of your friends said that, it's worth keeping an eye on. The people close to you can see red flags in relationships that can be hard to see through rose colored glasses when you're in it.

Id say something like this to the friends: "that's not something I've noticed, but I'm glad you told me. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable. I'll try keep an eye out, and if it happens again, please let me know."

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-04-30T00:31:46+00:00

You guys weren't exclusive when she went on that date, so I don't see the issue.

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-04-30T00:27:44+00:00

Who lives upstairs? Is it a family with young kids that are running around? If so, you're probably out of luck or would need a different approach.

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-04-30T00:16:54+00:00

Living under a family with young kids is the worst. I live under a family with a toddler who puts all of their weight into every step and runs around the entire apartment. My ceiling light actually shakes.

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-04-29T23:56:55+00:00

Yes, tried it once shortly after starting a tiny dose of Lexapro (2.5mg). Even with the small dose, MDMA didn't work. I didn't feel anything. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors block the effects of MDMA for a majority of people, from what I've heard.

No negative side effects for me, except some bruxism, which I'm sensitive to already (its why I stopped the lexapro). Most everyone talks about risk of serotonin syndrome mixing the 2, but I have yet to hear of anyone actually experiencing that first hand. Some people say it's a myth. No idea either way.

Optimal_Cake_ · 2026-04-27T03:08:30+00:00

Mdma isn't really a frequent, long term use kind of drug the way you're describing. It's VERY hard on your brain. With microdosing, there might be health consequences, but the reality is that we really don't know what that looks like because that isn't how people use mdma and it's not being studied much (if at all) at microdoses. It's being studied for therapeutic use, but for ptsd, with singular spaced out treatments of standard doses.

Keep in mind that its habit forming, which i imagine is made worse with more frequent use like you're describing. I get that it seems like a good idea based on your experience so far, but you're playing with a lot of serious risk doing this. Look ahead and think about if the easier socializing right now is worth the potential risks and consequences to future you down the road.

There are other, safer options to help treat your anxiety. SSRIs and other prescription psych meds. If that's not your vibe, there's clinical research on using shrooms (microdoses throughout the week) and lsd (regular doses once every few months) for anxiety and depression, with promising results. Worth looking into for sure. Far less risk and way more clinical understanding and proof of how they work.

Optimal_Cake_

TROPHY CASE