How do I get out of a contract where an agent has made false promises?

Questioner

Last year I entered into a 1-year lease agreement with a real estate agent. Since it was a fixed-term contract, it was actually not possible to terminate the contract early. Due to personal circumstances, we were forced to move in January 2021, while the contract would run until September 2021. The agent then very kindly offered us a solution: Our lease could be terminated in February. 1 month extra rent would be charged for placing advertisements and planning viewings. We were promised that new tenants would be found within a few weeks, because it was a very attractive house in a popular neighborhood. We then agreed to the terms, because it seemed financially feasible. Now, 3 months later, it turns out that the broker is forcing us to pay rent after all. We have been deregistered and checked out and no longer have access to the property, but because no new tenants have been found yet, we remain responsible for paying the rent. The broker's assumption that new tenants would be found before February 1st was therefore incorrect. There has been no viewing in the more than 10 weeks since the agreement on the terms of the breach of contract. The obligation to pay double rent is something I can no longer financially bear and it feels unfair to have to pay rent for a home that we no longer have access to. Is there a way to not remain contractually obligated to pay the rent? The reason we agreed to the early termination terms was so that we would not have to pay double rent for more than 2 months. It now seems very likely that the agent will not look for new tenants, because they can contractually oblige us to continue paying rent through August.

Lawyer

Any rental agreement for occupation of a house for a period of less than two years can be terminated by the tenant, not the landlord, with one month's notice.