When a tenant wants to give their property to another renter while maintaining their lease, this is called subleasing. A tenant can sublet an entire rental unit or rent out a room. Most subleases are for a year, but you may be able to sublet temporarily with your landlord's approval. Once authorized, you can form a sublease agreement. Depending on the situation, a room rental agreement may also be appropriate.
Sublease Agreement
First, review the original lease agreement to see if there's a policy against subletting. If not, notify the landlord of your request to sublease and wait for their approval.
To protect yourself, only accept written consent in the form of certified mail, an official document, or a verifiable email. All parties need to be in agreement about the terms of the sublease before signing.
Sublessor
As the original tenant, you must...
- obtain consent from the landlord before you sublet
- request a free copy of the original lease and the sublease agreement
- ensure rent and utilities are paid on time
Landlord Permission
While there may not be anything against it in the lease, your landlord may reject your request to sublet for the following reasons:
- subtenant having a poor rental or credit history
- tenant being behind on rent
- prior lease violations
- landlord wanting to raise the rent or charge an additional security deposit to accommodate an extra person
- the request being sent too close to the requested date
- nearing the end of the original lease
- new tenant already occupying the property
- destructive relationship between the tenants
End of Rental Term
As the original tenant, you must give a thirty days' notice (at minimum) before renewing the original lease or vacating the property. The subtenant cannot renew alone, but they might be able to obtain an independent lease.
If the property is undamaged, you will receive a refund of your security deposit. You may also receive the subtenant's deposit if applicable. As the original tenant, you should provide a change of address before moving. This is usually not required of the subtenant.
If you choose to renew your lease, it will only apply to you. The sublease must be renewed separately.
Build Your Own
You can download a free sublease agreement below or build your own from scratch:
DoorLoop has resources to learn about and download other legal documents as well.
eSignature
Lease signing is your biggest opportunity to lay the foundation for a pleasant tenant experience, and that relies on making the process as easy and efficient as possible.
With DoorLoop, you can get your subleases eSigned in a few seconds. You can also get to the eSignature step much more easily by creating reusable sublease templates that are autofilled with tenants' information.
DoorLoop also makes it so simple to find the best tenants in the first place by syndicating your lisitngs on popular websites Zillow, Trulia, Hotpads, Apartments.com, and more. You can also make sure you're bringing in the best tenants by screening your prospects in seconds through DoorLoop.
For more information about DoorLoop, learn more or schedule a free demo.
