I have had luck breaking my lease by talking to my landlord and telling him my situation and asking if there was anything I could do to get out of the lease. I ended up offering to find a new tenant to take-over the apartment for me at the same price I was paying and he accepted. So, I advertised the apartment online and showed the place to prospective tenants and eventually found someone that would work. The new tenant still had to get approved by the landlord, but I did get my security deposit back and was able to move. If your apartment is overpriced, you might have to end up eating some of the security deposit if you cannot find someone to take it at the current price you are paying. In the end its completely up to your landlord/property manager. Some are flexible, some are not. It generally doesn't hurt to have the conversation and see what your options are.