Subchapter III. Rent, Installment Contracts, Mortgages, Liens, Assignment, Leases, Communications Service Contracts

50 U.S.C. § 3955: Breaking a Lease on Military Orders, Full Text

Official heading: Termination of residential or motor vehicle leases

In one line

Lets you end a housing lease or a car lease early, with no early termination charge, when you enter service or receive PCS or deployment orders. Written notice plus a copy of your orders does it.

Housing: entry into service, or orders to PCS or deploy for at least 90 days; a monthly lease ends 30 days after the next rent due date following delivery of notice
Vehicles: entry into service on orders of at least 180 days, a PCS from the continental U.S. to outside it (or from a non-contiguous State to anywhere outside that State), or a deployment of at least 180 days; return the car within 15 days of notice
No early termination charge, and rent paid in advance must be refunded within 30 days of the termination date

Text checked October 9, 2026

What § 3955 does to your money

Section 3955 is how you walk away from a lease without paying out the rest of it. A home lease qualifies if you signed it before entering service; if you signed it while serving and then got PCS orders or orders to deploy for at least 90 days; or if you signed it on such orders and then got a stop-movement order of 30 days or more. Vehicle leases have stricter triggers: entering service on orders of at least 180 days, a PCS from the continental United States to outside it (or from Alaska, Hawaii or a territory to anywhere outside it), or a deployment of at least 180 days.

Deliver written notice and a copy of your orders by hand, private carrier, return-receipt mail, or electronic means the lessor designated. For a monthly-rent home lease the termination takes effect 30 days after the next rent due date following delivery: notice delivered June 10 with rent due July 1 ends the lease July 31. A car lease ends the day you deliver notice and return the vehicle, which you must do within 15 days. The lessor may not charge an early termination fee, must prorate unpaid rent, and must refund rent paid in advance within 30 days. You still owe taxes, summonses and reasonable excess wear, plus excess mileage on a car.

The servicemember can also end the lease within a year after a catastrophic injury or illness incurred in service (a spouse or dependent can act if the servicemember lacks capacity), and a spouse or dependent can end it within a year after the servicemember dies in service. Ending the lease ends any dependent’s obligation under it. Holding a security deposit or belongings to cover rent for the period after termination is a crime punishable by a fine and up to one year in prison.

Guides on this site that apply § 3955

Break Your Apartment Lease with Military Orders (SCRA)
PCS or deployment orders of 90+ days let you end a residential lease penalty-free under the SCRA, often saving thousands. Exact steps and timing.
Can't Be Evicted: SCRA Eviction Protection
Rent under the federal threshold means no eviction without a court order, and the judge must pause it 90 days. 50 U.S.C. § 3951 turns a notice into a fight.
Cancel Phone, Internet & Cable Contracts on Military Orders
Federal law (50 U.S.C. § 3956) lets military members cancel cell phone, internet, and cable contracts with no early-termination fee on 90-day orders.
Car Insurance During Deployment: USAA's 60% Is Off Comprehensive Only
The SCRA does not cut auto premiums. USAA's storage discount: up to 60% off comprehensive only. GEICO's military discount: up to 15%. What to drop by ownership.
End a Car Lease Early with Military Orders, No Fee (SCRA)
Deploying 180+ days or PCSing OCONUS? The SCRA lets you return a leased car with no early-termination charge. Phone and internet contracts too.
GM Financial SCRA: 1-855-719-9693 & the 6% Auto Rate Cap
GM Financial caps pre-service retail contracts at 6% in print and replies in about eight business days. Estimate your refund and generate the letter.
Honda Financial Services SCRA: How to File and the 30-Day Response
Honda and Acura Financial name a rate reduction and print no figure, so 6% governs. Estimate your refund and generate the letter for its SCRA team.
How to Apply for SCRA Benefits (and How Long It Actually Takes)
No SCRA application exists. You notify each creditor in writing with your orders, up to 180 days after service. What to send, where, and how long it takes.
Hyundai Motor Finance and Kia Finance SCRA: One Desk, 3-Day Processing
Hyundai Motor Finance and Kia Finance America share one SCRA desk: SCRA@hcs.com, fax (888) 780-4423, Atlanta mail, 3-day processing. Plus the 2024 DOJ case.
Nissan Motor Acceptance SCRA: 6% Cap, Fee Waiver, and the DOJ Case
NMAC publishes a 6% SCRA rate, a fee waiver, and a Military Center of Excellence that answers in 3 business days. It also paid the DOJ $3 million in 2019.
PCS Money Moves: Entitlements Families Leave Unclaimed
A PCS pays more than you think. Dislocation allowance, MALT mileage, per diem, TLE, and a PPM incentive, plus the SCRA lease break and tax-residence angle.
Santander & Chrysler Capital Military Benefits: 6% SCRA
A pre-service Santander or Chrysler Capital auto loan caps at 6%, and repossession needs a court order. Estimate your refund and generate the letter.

24 of the site’s state pages also cite § 3955 when they compare a state law to the federal rule.

Enforcement record: 16 Justice Department cases

Cases in the site’s DOJ enforcement ledger about the conduct § 3955 governs, newest first, each transcribed from the Justice Department’s own record.

Greystar Management Services, LLC (2025)

Settlement (June 24, 2025): $1.35 million set aside to compensate servicemembers, including triple damages to those who paid the early termination charges, and a $77,370 civil penalty to the United States, plus policy changes.
JWB Property Management LLC (JWB Rental Homes) (2025)

Settlement (June 19, 2025): $39,168.50 in compensation to servicemembers and a $25,000 civil penalty to the United States, plus revised policies.
McGowan Realty, LLC, d/b/a RedSail Property Management (2024)

Consent order (filed January 8, 2024): $10,225.65 to the Petty Officer, a $3,000 civil penalty, SCRA training, new policies, and an end to imposing the 35-mile limitation on SCRA terminations.
FPI Management, Inc. (2023)

Consent order (entered June 14, 2023): $51,587 in total to the nine servicemembers, a $22,500 civil penalty, tenant-database repairs, new SCRA policies, and employee training.
JAG Management Company, LLC (2023)

Consent order (entered October 4, 2023): $41,581.95 in compensation to the servicemembers, a $20,000 civil penalty, new SCRA policies, and training.
Integrity Asset Management, LLC (2022)

Consent order (entered September 2, 2022): $45,325 to affected servicemembers and a $62,029 civil penalty, plus credit repair, SCRA training, and new policies.
American Honda Finance Corporation (2021)

Consent order (entered October 6, 2021): $1,585,803.89 to 714 servicemembers, a $64,715 civil penalty, changes to lease termination and rate-benefit policies, and employee training.
Santander Consumer USA, Inc., d/b/a Chrysler Capital (2021)

Consent order (entered October 1, 2021): $94,282.62 in compensation for the ten servicemembers, a $40,000 civil penalty, and changes to procedures and training.
Levenson (Massachusetts landlord) (2020)

Consent order (entered January 30, 2020): $3,000 in damages to the servicemember and his wife, a $500 civil penalty, and compliance reporting.
Western Rim Investors (The Estates and The Mansions at Briggs Ranch) (2020)

Consent order (entered September 30, 2020): over $71,000 to 45 servicemembers and a $64,715 civil penalty, with a three-year term and SCRA-compliant policies required if the defendants re-enter the rental business.

6 more in the full ledger.

The full text of 50 U.S.C. § 3955

From the United States Code, 2024 Edition, current through January 6, 2025, as published by the U.S. Government Publishing Office on GovInfo (retrieved October 10, 2026). No amendment enacted after the edition cutoff was found on Cornell LII or in GovInfo’s compiled SCRA (amended through Pub. L. 118-159, Dec. 23, 2024). House style: the Code’s em dashes before a list are shown as colons, and en dashes as hyphens or “to”; no word of the text is changed.

(a) Termination

(1) Termination by lessee

The lessee on a lease described in subsection (b) may, at the lessee's option, terminate the lease at any time after:

(A) the lessee's entry into military service;

(B) the date of the lessee's military orders described in paragraph (1)(B) or (2)(B) of subsection (b), as the case may be; or

(C) the date of the lessee's stop movement order described in paragraph (1)(C) or (2)(C) of subsection (b), as the case may be.

(2) Joint leases

A lessee's termination of a lease pursuant to this subsection shall terminate any obligation a dependent of the lessee may have under the lease.

(3) Death of lessee

The spouse or dependent of the lessee on a lease described in subsection (b) may terminate the lease during the one-year period beginning on the date of the death of the lessee, if the lessee dies while in military service or while performing full-time National Guard duty, active Guard and Reserve duty, or inactive-duty training (as such terms are defined in section 101(d) of title 10).

(4) Catastrophic injury or illness of lessee

(A) Termination

If the lessee on a lease described in subsection (b) incurs a catastrophic injury or illness during a period of military service or while performing covered service, during the one-year period beginning on the date on which the lessee incurs such injury or illness:

(i) the lessee may terminate the lease; or

(ii) in the case of a lessee who lacks the mental capacity to contract or to manage his or her own affairs (including disbursement of funds without limitation) due to such injury or illness, the spouse or dependent of the lessee may terminate the lease.

(B) Definitions

In this paragraph:

(i) The term "catastrophic injury or illness" has the meaning given that term in section 439(g) of title 37.

(ii) The term "covered service" means full-time National Guard duty, active Guard and Reserve duty, or inactive-duty training (as such terms are defined in section 101(d) of title 10).

(b) Covered leases

This section applies to the following leases:

(1) Leases of premises

A lease of premises occupied, or intended to be occupied, by a servicemember or a servicemember's dependents for a residential, professional, business, agricultural, or similar purpose if:

(A) the lease is executed by or on behalf of a person who thereafter and during the term of the lease enters military service;

(B) the servicemember, while in military service, executes the lease and thereafter receives military orders for a permanent change of station or to deploy with a military unit, or as an individual in support of a military operation, for a period of not less than 90 days; or

(i) executes a lease upon receipt of military orders for a permanent change of station or to deploy with a military unit, or as an individual in support of a military operation, for a period of not less than 90 days; and

(ii) thereafter receives a stop movement order issued by the Secretary concerned in response to a local, national, or global emergency, effective for an indefinite period or for a period of not less than 30 days, which prevents the servicemember or servicemember's dependents from occupying the lease for a residential, professional, business, agricultural, or similar purpose.

(2) Leases of motor vehicles

A lease of a motor vehicle used, or intended to be used, by a servicemember or a servicemember's dependents for personal or business transportation if:

(A) the lease is executed by or on behalf of a person who thereafter and during the term of the lease enters military service under a call or order specifying a period of not less than 180 days (or who enters military service under a call or order specifying a period of 180 days or less and who, without a break in service, receives orders extending the period of military service to a period of not less than 180 days);

(B) the servicemember, while in military service, executes the lease and thereafter receives military orders:

(i) for a change of permanent station:

(I) from a location in the continental United States to a location outside the continental United States; or

(II) from a location in a State outside the continental United States to any location outside that State; or

(ii) to deploy with a military unit, or as an individual in support of a military operation, for a period of not less than 180 days; or

(i) executes a lease upon receipt of military orders described in subparagraph (B); and

(ii) thereafter receives a stop movement order issued by the Secretary concerned in response to a local, national, or global emergency, effective for an indefinite period or for a period of not less than 30 days, which prevents the servicemember, or the servicemember's dependents, from using the vehicle for personal or business transportation.

(c) Manner of termination

(1) In general

Termination of a lease under subsection (a) is made:

(A) by delivery by the lessee of written notice of such termination, and a copy of the servicemember's military orders, to the lessor (or the lessor's grantee), or to the lessor's agent (or the agent's grantee); and

(B) in the case of a lease of a motor vehicle, by return of the motor vehicle by the lessee to the lessor (or the lessor's grantee), or to the lessor's agent (or the agent's grantee), not later than 15 days after the date of the delivery of written notice under subparagraph (A).

(2) Delivery of notice

Delivery of notice under paragraph (1)(A) may be accomplished:

(A) by hand delivery;

(B) by private business carrier;

(C) by placing the written notice in an envelope with sufficient postage and with return receipt requested, and addressed as designated by the lessor (or the lessor's grantee) or to the lessor's agent (or the agent's grantee), and depositing the written notice in the United States mails; or

(D) by electronic means, including:

(i) the direct delivery of material to an electronic address designated by the lessor (or the lessor's grantee) or the lessor's agent (or the agent's grantee);

(ii) the posting of material to a website or other internet or electronic-based information repository to which access has been granted to the lessee, the lessor (or the lessor's grantee), or the lessor's agent (or the agent's grantee); and

(iii) other electronic means reasonably calculated to ensure actual receipt of the material by the lessor (or the lessor's grantee) or the lessor's agent (or the agent's grantee).

(d) Effective date of lease termination

(1) Lease of premises

(A) Entrance to military service, permanent change of station, or deployment

In the case of a lease described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of subsection (b)(1) that provides for monthly payment of rent, termination of the lease under subsection (a) is effective 30 days after the first date on which the next rental payment is due and payable after the date on which the notice under subsection (c) is delivered. In the case of any other lease described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection (b)(1) termination of the lease under subsection (a) is effective on the last day of the month following the month in which the notice is delivered.

(B) Stop movement orders

In the case of a lease described in subsection (b)(1)(C), termination of the lease under subsection (a) is effective on the date on which the requirements of subsection (c) are met for such termination.

(2) Lease of motor vehicles

In the case of a lease described in subsection (b)(2), termination of the lease under subsection (a) is effective on the day on which the requirements of subsection (c) are met for such termination.

(e) Arrearages and other obligations and liabilities

(1) Leases of premises

Rent amounts for a lease described in subsection (b)(1) that are unpaid for the period preceding the effective date of the lease termination shall be paid on a prorated basis. The lessor may not impose an early termination charge, but any taxes, summonses, or other obligations and liabilities of the lessee in accordance with the terms of the lease, including reasonable charges to the lessee for excess wear, that are due and unpaid at the time of termination of the lease shall be paid by the lessee.

(2) Leases of motor vehicles

Lease amounts for a lease described in subsection (b)(2) that are unpaid for the period preceding the effective date of the lease termination shall be paid on a prorated basis. The lessor may not impose an early termination charge, but any taxes, summonses, title and registration fees, or other obligations and liabilities of the lessee in accordance with the terms of the lease, including reasonable charges to the lessee for excess wear or use and mileage, that are due and unpaid at the time of termination of the lease shall be paid by the lessee.

(f) Rent paid in advance

Rents or lease amounts paid in advance for a period after the effective date of the termination of the lease shall be refunded to the lessee by the lessor (or the lessor's assignee or the assignee's agent) within 30 days of the effective date of the termination of the lease.

(g) Relief to lessor

Upon application by the lessor to a court before the termination date provided in the written notice, relief granted by this section to a servicemember may be modified as justice and equity require.

(h) Misdemeanor

Any person who knowingly seizes, holds, or detains the personal effects, security deposit, or other property of a servicemember or a servicemember's dependent who lawfully terminates a lease covered by this section, or who knowingly interferes with the removal of such property from premises covered by such lease, for the purpose of subjecting or attempting to subject any of such property to a claim for rent accruing subsequent to the date of termination of such lease, or attempts to do so, shall be fined as provided in title 18, or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.

(i) Definitions

In this section:

(1) Military orders

The term "military orders", with respect to a servicemember, means official military orders (including orders for separation or retirement), or any notification, certification, or verification from the servicemember's commanding officer, with respect to the servicemember's current or future military duty status.

(2) ConUS

The term "continental United States" means the 48 contiguous States and the District of Columbia.

(3) Permanent change of station

The term "permanent change of station" includes separation or retirement from military service.

Enacted and amended by: (Oct. 17, 1940, ch. 888, title III, §305, as added Pub. L. 108-189, §1, Dec. 19, 2003, 117 Stat. 2848; amended Pub. L. 108-454, title VII, §704, Dec. 10, 2004, 118 Stat. 3624; Pub. L. 111-275, title III, §§301, 303(b)(5), Oct. 13, 2010, 124 Stat. 2875, 2878; Pub. L. 115-407, title III, §301, Dec. 31, 2018, 132 Stat. 5373; Pub. L. 116-92, div. A, title V, §§545, 546, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1377; Pub. L. 116-158, §1(a) to (d), Aug. 14, 2020, 134 Stat. 706, 707; Pub. L. 116-283, div. A, title V, §549, Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3620; Pub. L. 116-315, title VII, §§7201(a), 7202(a), Jan. 5, 2021, 134 Stat. 5063.)

What changed, and when

The Office of the Law Revision Counsel’s amendment notes for § 3955, newest first.

2021: Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 116-283, §549(b), substituted "The spouse or dependent of the lessee" for "The spouse of the lessee". Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 116-283, §549(a), amended par. (4) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: "The spouse of the lessee on a lease described in subsection (b) may terminate the lease during the one-year period beginning on the date on which the lessee incurs a catastrophic injury or illness (as that term is defined in section 439(g) of title 37, if the lessee incurs the catastrophic injury or illness during a period of military service or while performing full-time National Guard duty, active Guard and Reserve duty, or inactive-duty training (as such terms are defined in section 101(d) of title 10)." Subsec. (b)(1)(C)(ii), (2)(C)(ii). Pub. L. 116-315, §7202(a), substituted "Secretary concerned" for "Secretary of Defense". Subsec. (c)(2)(D). Pub. L. 116-315, §7201(a), added subpar. (D).
2020: Subsec. (a)(1)(C). Pub. L. 116-158, §1(a), added subpar. (C). Subsec. (b)(1)(C). Pub. L. 116-158, §1(b)(1), added subpar. (C). Subsec. (b)(2)(C). Pub. L. 116-158, §1(b)(2), added subpar. (C). Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 116-158, §1(c), amended par. (1) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: "In the case of a lease described in subsection (b)(1) that provides for monthly payment of rent, termination of the lease under subsection (a) is effective 30 days after the first date on which the next rental payment is due and payable after the date on which the notice under subsection (c) is delivered. In the case of any other lease described in subsection (b)(1), termination of the lease under subsection (a) is effective on the last day of the month following the month in which the notice is delivered." Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 116-158, §1(d), which directed amendment of subsec. (i) by inserting "In this section:" before par. (1) without specifying the section being amended, was executed to subsec. (i) of this section, to reflect the probable intent of Congress.
2019: Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 116-92, §545(b), substituted "in subsection (b)" for "in subsection (b)(1)". Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 116-92, §545(a), added par. (4). Subsec. (i)(1). Pub. L. 116-92, §546(1), inserted "(including orders for separation or retirement)" after "official military orders". Subsec. (i)(3). Pub. L. 116-92, §546(2), added par. (3).
2018: Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 115-407, §301(1), struck out "by lessee" after "Termination" in heading. Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 115-407, §301(2), substituted "Termination by lessee" for "In general" in heading. Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 115-407, §301(3), added par. (3).
2010: Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 111-275, §301, amended subsec. (e) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: "Rents or lease amounts unpaid for the period preceding the effective date of the lease termination shall be paid on a prorated basis. In the case of the lease of a motor vehicle, the lessor may not impose an early termination charge, but any taxes, summonses, and title and registration fees and any other obligation and liability of the lessee in accordance with the terms of the lease, including reasonable charges to the lessee for excess wear, use and mileage, that are due and unpaid at the time of termination of the lease shall be paid by the lessee." Subsec. (h). Pub. L. 111-275, §303(b)(5), amended subsec. (h) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (h) related to penalties.
2004: Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 108-454, §704(a), amended subsec. (a) generally, designating existing provisions as par. (1), inserting par. heading, and adding par. (2). Subsec. (b)(1)(B). Pub. L. 108-454, §704(c), inserted ", or as an individual in support of a military operation," after "deploy with a military unit". Subsec. (b)(2)(B). Pub. L. 108-454, §704(b)(1), substituted "military orders: " for "military orders for a permanent change of station outside of the continental United States or to deploy", added cl. (i), and inserted "(ii) to deploy" before "with a military unit". Subsec. (b)(2)(B)(ii). Pub. L. 108-454, §704(c), inserted ", or as an individual in support of a military operation," after "deploy with a military unit". Subsec. (i). Pub. L. 108-454, §704(b)(2), added subsec. (i).

Effective date: Section applicable to any case not final before Dec. 19, 2003, see section 3 of Pub. L. 108-189, set out as a note under section 3901 of this title.

Every section of the Act, including the short administrative ones without their own page, is on the section-by-section index.

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