Relocation Expenses and Settlement of Unexpired Lease

An employee of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) requested reimbursement in the amount of $250 which was forfeited when the employee's apartment lease was terminated in connection with a permanent change of station. The agency, maintaining that the employee should be rembursed only $100 because the $150 represented a portion of the security deposit that related to the possession of a pet, requested an advance decision on the claim. GAO found that the security deposit agreement in the lease stated that the pet deposit portion of the security deposit may be used by the manager for damages for any breach of the lease agreement, whether or not the breach was caused by or related to a pet. Since the forfeiture was incident to the settlement of the unexpired lease due to transfer and was not caused or related to the possession of a pet, the employee's claim was allowed.