Learn when and how tenants may legally break a lease in Illinois and how to limit liability for rent through the end of the lease term. If they did not provide you with the most current CTLO Disclosure, that violation alone will allow you to break your lease without penalty.If the tenant is getting relocated because of deployment or a change of station, they may be able to break the lease without any penalties. Otherwise, you can't legally "break" a lease. Terminate the rental agreement and move out early without penalty. A tenant has the option to end a fixedterm lease early, without penalty, if the reason for the lease pretermination is justifiable. Use the Early Termination Clause. I want to break an apartment lease in Chicago, IL. My lease agreement has a buyout option. Unless your lease allows this, no. There is no law that allows this as a right. Disclaimer.