30 Day Written Notice for Lease Cancellation

Hi there, I'm a renter in Park Slope. I recently received my rent renewal request (have lived in the apartment for two years) and because I am not sure whether or not I'm staying in the apartment, talked over the particulars of renewing my lease with my landlord. During this conversation, he offered to send me a lease cancellation request (which he did) that allows me to break the lease as long as... [more]

Hi there, I'm a renter in Park Slope. I recently received my rent renewal request (have lived in the apartment for two years) and because I am not sure whether or not I'm staying in the apartment, talked over the particulars of renewing my lease with my landlord. During this conversation, he offered to send me a lease cancellation request (which he did) that allows me to break the lease as long as I provide a written notice within thirty days, but has been balking on putting in any info regarding my security deposit in the document. I generally like and trust my landlord, he's been a pretty standup guy ever since I moved in here, and always gets fixes and repairs done when I've inquired, however he's been very controversial in the neighborhood regarding refunds and many people think he's a shyster, so I'm just doing my due diligence. Does anyone know about these kinds of contracts and have any info on their veracity? He also doesn't want to add anything into the clause because he says, "By giving the 30 day right to cancel, you are fulfilling the full provisions of the lease and I am required by law to return your security deposit. Additional language is not required." Is this true? Thanks in advance! [less]