Breaking a rental contract..?

So me and my boyfriend were looking for a house to rent. His cousin told us that the house next door to them should be going up for rent again, because the tenants just moved out. We got all the owners info form the cousin and decided to call. The rent is $1200 deposit is $1000. We walked the property with a friend/handyman of the owners. We liked what we saw. We filled out applications to rent. They excepted. They gave us a rental contract that had all the info filled in on it for us, so we just had to sign. So we signed it, but the lease does not start tell Febuary 1st ( its January 9th, today) Its a month to month lease, and we havent givin them any money yet. Me and my boyfriend have had some car trouble since the signing and dont have all the money the want ( 1st, last, and deposit ) to give to them by the first, and we are having second thoughts about a month to month.

Can we get out of this ? can we break the lease ? we have not givin them any money, no final walk threw, no keys have been handed over, and there still working on the house from when the last tenants moved out. Please any advise would help. Thanks

Review your lease and see if it has any terms that may support you and in any case ask the landlord to work something out--many will do something for you in medical situations or other emergencies...if there are any problems you could try to point those out as reasons for leaving as well; finally most landlords actually will not sue for the amounts owing after a broken lease, though they may try to report it to your credit agency; you are only liable until they re-rent it in any case so if you can find someone to take it, that may also help...