How to Sublet an Apartment in New York

Need to move out of your New York apartment before your lease is up? List your New York apartment as a sublet! It's a simple process, and if you take precautions, it's a win-win-win situation for you, your landlord, and your tenant.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Internet
• Digital photos of apartment
• Letter to Landlord
• Lease agreement
• Credit check or reference

1. Speak with your landlord about your situation. Get permission to list your apartment as a sublet.

2. Take three or four digital pictures of your apartment to show it off to it's best advantage.

3. Using several free online apartment lease sites (see Resources), list your apartment under the sublet section. Write a thorough description of your apartment listing all the great things about it...location, elevator building or walkup, wood floors, high ceilings, etc. Decide if you are going to include the utilities in the price of the sublet. If not, prepare to let prospective tenants know what the history of utility charges has been. Decide if you will allow pets. Post the photos.

4. Get your apartment into good shape. After all, you're trying to sell the space, so you want it to look its best. Set appointments for prospective tenants as they contact you, or advertise an open house on a certain day.

5. Protect yourself against the responsibility of loss or damage in the apartment in several ways. Decide on a security deposit, which can be refunded after you have had time to inspect the apartment at the end of the lease term. Have your tenant sign a simple lease agreement stating the amount of the monthly rent, and the number of months in the lease. (A free sample lease agreement can be found on the internet.) Either get permission to run a credit check on your tenant or ask for a reference from a previous landlord or the current employer. It's also typical to expect the first (and perhaps the last) month's rent at the time of the sublet.

6. Let the building superintendent, doorman, or reception staff know the name of your new tenant.

7. After the lease term is up, either inspect the apartment yourself to ensure that no damage has been done, or ask a friend or relative in the area to inspect it for you. Once you have determined how much of the security deposit must be used to repair damage, return the balance to your tenant.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to click on the links around this page for more information.
• If this article has been helpful to you, feel free to link it to your blog or email it to friends.
• Have a friend over while strangers are looking at your apartment. Don't do it alone.
• If there are any "red flags" or odd feelings about the prospective tenant, move on to the next one.
• You CANNOT discriminate against any prospective tenant on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, sexual preference, or age. The sites linked below will help inform you of this. If you have any questions, be sure to discuss it with your landlord.

Resources

• Craigs List
• Sublet.com

[waters]

on 11/28/2009 Good information on how to sublet an apartment in New York. 5*

[ccard123]

on 11/15/2009 These are great tips for subletting and apartment! 5* and recommended.

[tundranut]

on 11/6/2009 I'd LOVE to sublet an apartment in one of my favorite cities in the world, New York. This is a terrific article about How to Sublet an Apartment in New York. 5*

[godfather25]

on 10/9/2009 Great article on subletting an apartment in new york.

[susanhorton72]

on 10/8/2009 Very nice article and you add in resources on where to go!