How to Convince a Landlord to Sublet Your Apartment
In theory, you should never sign a lease for an apartment without intending to live in it for the entire term. But life happens, and subletting your apartment can allow you to make long-term commitments elsewhere while another tenant occupies your space (and pays rent), without breaking your lease. Whatever the reason you need to sublet your apartment – long summer vacations, temporary relocation, permanent relocation prior to the expiration of your existing lease – you need to ask the landlord for permission before bringing the sublet into your premises. This process is familiar to most homeowners, but if you ask the first time, this may scare you. Here are some important factors to consider when asking a landlord to sublet your space.
How does sublease (or sublease) work?
It is important to understand that subletting is a legal process. It is imperative that you know your rights as a tenant before applying for a sublease permit, so be sure to do your research. The laws governing this vary from state to state and county, but Tenant.net provides an overview of your rights when it comes to subletting. In some cases, laws will apply to buildings of a certain size, such as an apartment building with four or more apartments. If you are in a different situation (for example, if you are renting an entire house), consider contacting a housing lawyer to find out what opportunities are open to you.
It is important to remember that you, as a tenant, can sublet your apartment whether the landlord likes it or not. As Tenant.net explains, in May it said, “[e] even if your lease prohibits it, you are legally entitled to sublet your apartment and the lease clause is invalid.” Although the site is for property managers, you can see a list of sublease permits and restrictions for each state at LandlordStudio .
What to include in a sublease application
To start the process, you need to send a formal sublease request in the form of a letter to the homeowner or property owner (depending on which legal entity is in your lease). The letter should contain several important details and some basic information :
- Your name
- Apartment details
- Validity
- Sub-tenant’s name and contact information
If you are sharing your space, the tenant resource site suggests including an approval form signed by your roommate indicating that they have agreed to the sublease process. It is also important to include the contact information of where you will be staying during the sublease period. Including the reason why you are going to take a long vacation from your apartment and your sub-tenant selection process will provide the landlord with all the details it needs to review your request.
Sites such as Rent.com and Apartment Guides offer sublease request templates to help you keep the guesswork out of your letter.
What to expect after submitting a sublease application
After submitting your request, you will need information about the laws of your state or county. At this point, the homeowner usually has 10 days to ask for more information and 30 days to respond. If they refuse despite being presented with reasonable reasons, you can fight it, but you may lose depending on the landlord’s motivation for declining the request. If you feel there is no good reason to refuse you, you can appeal their decision and ask for approval of your request, although how you do this will be different. The apartment guide states : “In major cities such as Chicago and New York, you can sublet your apartment even if the lease prohibits it and your property manager refuses permission … as long as the current tenant can prove that the subtenant has the same qualifications. “