Have no worry! You can move out from that awful apartment after all. Read on to find out the tips for breaking your lease. Trulia [1] shares with us some useful advice on what to look out for and what to understand so that you can avoid any costly fees.

Weigh these 3 potentially money-saving points before your break your lease.

Being young and dumb, I ignored the following red flags when I signed a two-year lease: the complex had changed management seven times in two years; paperwork was always "disappearing" from the office; and I was a naive 24-year-old who didn't realize that life can change in an instant — or merely three months later.

Seemingly all at once, I was offered a job I couldn't turn down in New York City [2], the apartment complex changed management (again), and I had left the apartment [3] to a roommate who I thought was set to assume the lease, thus getting me out of "breaking" it.

And boy was I wrong.

That Craigslist roommate abandoned the apartment when she couldn't make rent and the new management company hunted me down all the way in New York to pay the rent she owed — conveniently losing the form that released me from the lease.

The lesson here? You probably shouldn't 100 percent trust Craigslist roommates, but definitely make sure you get out of your lease cleanly and carefully.

The laws in each state are different, but here are some general advice and tips to — if you must — break your own lease relatively unscathed.

1. Consider your landlord relationship
Breaking your lease could be eased by the kind of bond you have (or don't have) with your landlord, because this will influence your approach.

I had zero relationship with the management at my apartment and they barely knew my name, thus they had no qualms about "losing" my paperwork and hounding me for money after I'd moved 800 miles away.

"Before approaching the landlord, consider your history with him or her so you can choose the appropriate strategy," says lifestyle expert April Masini of AskApril [4]. "If you've been at war with your landlord since day one, and have been asking for 'revenge repairs' for the duration of your lease, there are two ways this could go. Your landlord may be thrilled to hear that you're wanting to leave early. Or they may see this as yet another in the litany of your issues."

2. Be willing to compromise a little

Many landlords know that life happens — and that moving on after a few years is just the nature of renting. Some, though, will demand that you make good on the lease or pay penalties.

Real estate and legal experts say you can try to ease the transition by offering to find a replacement, or absorb the costs of cleaning and painting the place after you move out.

"These are headaches for landlords, and it might help your case," says lawyer Sam Mecum, the landlord/tenant partner of Lancaster, PA [5]–based law offices of Reese, Samley, Wagenseller, Mecum, Longer & Williams. [6]

Steve Silberberg, who lives in Boston [7] and is the landlord of a property in Seattle [8], agrees that offering to find a replacement would soften the blow. He knows that lapses in occupancy are bad for his building.

"No income, nobody watching the property, the exterior starts looking run down, and services must continue to be paid for," he says. "So if someone wanted to break a lease, I would be ecstatic if they provided responsible replacements."

Brian Davis, who is vice president of ezLandlordForms [9] and a landlord himself, says even if your landlord won't budge on the issue and seems to want to take you to court, he probably won't.

"It's just not worth the trouble and expense in 99 percent of cases," he says. "First, they have to sue you in small claims court, which is expensive and time consuming. Second, they have to actually find you, which in itself is no easy feat. Finally, even if they go through all that hassle, they still have to collect from you, which is even more expensive and time consuming."

3. Keep all of your documentation
In my situation, I also screwed myself — by never requesting a copy of the form that released me from my old lease.

If you're wondering how that story ends, I had to beg the Craigslist roommate's mother to contact her and, finally, the roomie fessed up and took responsibility. Phew! There are happy endings to these predicaments.

Baltimore [10] resident Jonathan Stokes had to break his lease due to a personal emergency, but his landlord insisted that he pay the remaining months' rent.

Stokes consulted with Brian Davis, who found a loophole — Stokes' landlord never asked him to sign a lead paint certificate, which is a requirement since the house was built before 1978.

"The landlord was silent for about 10 seconds, then she politely asked me to leave the place clean when I moved out. I did, and that was that," Stokes says.

Dr. Shiawee Yang, associate professor of finance at Northeastern University, emphasized that you should be familiar with the tenants' rights in your state and know what you're getting into when you're signing on the dotted line.

"Most state laws offer strong tenant protection," she says. "The law is on your side. Make sure you read about your rights as specified in the lease and in the state law, and consult expert opinions. After all, the best rule of thumb is not to sign a stupid lease carelessly."

If you make sure you understand your lease before you sign, there's a better chance you'll be able to avoid any costly fees if you have to move without warning.