Well thank you both for your reply. I finally got a response from the property management and they said that many of their tenants as of late were going to extreme measures to break leases. I dont know how extreme but I havent heard anyhting on the news, so it couldnt be that extreme. That being said why they wouldnt make this policy on a case by case basis depending on risk factors instead of a blanket policy is beyond me. The info provided regarding how the lease doesnt really protect the landlord in cases where the tenants pay rent on time and are pretty reliable does help explain it a little. I guess we are clearly in that category.
Oh and thanks for introducing me to the term lurker. I never heard that term before but now I can come clean and admit I am a lurker on hundreds if not thousands of websites. I usually prefer to let the experts and non-experts argue amongst themselves but maybe I will contribute more in the future.