South Carolina CE Shop Real Estate Practice Exam

When a tenant abandons, the lease is breached, so the landlord can pursue remedies to regain possession and recover losses. Terminating the lease is appropriate because abandonment effectively ends the tenant’s obligations under the fixed term. Eviction is the lawful process to repossess the property if the tenant won’t leave voluntarily. Damages cover the financial impact of the breach—typically the rent that would have been due for the remainder of the term, plus costs to re-rent the unit (such as advertising and any commissions or damages needed to make the unit ready for a new tenant). The landlord must mitigate by attempting to re-let, which helps limit damages, and the security deposit can be applied toward unpaid rent and damages. Reasoning why the other options don’t fit: Forfeiture of an option to purchase relates to a separate contract feature, not a standard remedy for lease abandonment. A rent increase for next year isn’t a remedy tied to the act of abandonment. Converting tenancy to month-to-month without notice isn’t an automatic remedy of SAMPLEabandonment; it would depend on the lease terms or new agreement and isn’t a granted remedy simply because the tenant left early.