Can I terminate my lease early due to unforeseen circumstances?

You should review the termination provisions in your lease, but generally the answer is no - you cannot terminate early unless your Landlord agrees to the termination in writing.

I am a WA State attorney, and I counsel both landlords and tenants in WA who end up having landlord/tenant conflicts. It would be smart of you to have your first lease draft reviewed by a knowledgeable WA State landlord tenant law attorney. The biggest problems that arise include return of a security deposit and/or billing for additional costs after move out; tenants failure to comply with terms of the lease and/or HOA rules; and issues/questions regarding renewal of the lease. The Residential Landlord Tenant Law can be found here: https://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=59.18 Two changes were made in 2023 alone. In addition, some cities, like Seattle, and unincorporated King County, have additional requirements to be aware of. You may want to consider joining an association of WA landlords - I think there's a statewide one, and there may be county or city organizations. Some of these can provide you with first draft leases and/or provide guidance, classes, and counseling. There are many places to buy leases online, but some of these don't address the fine points regarding notice to vacate or raise rent, issues arising from paying last month's rent ahead, whether or not security deposits can be applied toward the last month's rent, and so forth. An attorney who specializes in landlord-tenant law can provide you with your first lease and also be available on an ongoing basis for consultations from time to time.

I think you need to post this as a CA question, not as a WA question. However, your first step is checking government and HOA rules, if any and make sure that this is allowed. You will need to change your insurance and possibly add another policy specifically for short term rentals. Let me know if I can ever be of help with WA State legal questions!

If you would like to request me through a project, I’d be happy to review all documents and WA State law and provide you with advice. It will be important to know whether or not you were informed that you will have to comply with the HOA rules at the time you signed the lease—many leases state the necessity to comply with HOA CC&R’s and/or Bylaws and/or rules as well as WA State law.

Speaking generally, if your agreement is a lease, neither the landlord nor tenant can amend it unless both parties agree (the same can be said for a completely new agreement). If it is a month to month agreement, if you don't sign, the landlord may be able to give you notice to vacate. What I would do is ask for a couple of days for review. Put your current agreement down with the proposed new agreeement down, side by side, and go through them together, paragraph by paragraph. At the same time, make notes about anything in the new agreement you don't like, and attempt to negotiate the terms with your landlord before signing. Please note that the WA State Residential Landlord Tenant law was modified in several ways by the WA State Legislature, effective a few months ago - this may be why your landlord is doing this. For example, a landlord now has 30 days to return a security deposit (or explain why he/she isn't); it was 21 before that, and 14 before that). To review the Landlord/Tenant Law at the same time, follow this link: https://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=59.18 If you would like to hire me to help, I am not available until October 15th, I'm afraid - I'm on vacation at Yosemite.