Can My Landlord Keep Some of My Security Deposit If I Break My Lease? When you first signed a lease for an apartment, there were a few things that happened. One, you were agreeing to stay in the apartment for the full terms of the lease, which will usually be for one year or more. You probably had all intentions of sticking around and no plans to move out when you signed the lease, but there are times when life gets in the way and then you are going to need to...