When you’re in a lease agreement but need to relocate, you have a couple of options for dealing with your rental. One of the options is finding a subletter, which is someone who rents the property from you, the renter on the lease. If subletting your room, apartment, or home is allowed by your landlord, these tips can help when you’re wondering how to find a subletter.
How to Find a Subletter
We’ll lay out the steps to take to find a subletter, including:
1. Read your lease
2. Post the listing
3. Show your space
4. Screen applicants
5. Create your sublease
Check Your Rental Agreement
The first and most important step in your search for someone to sublease your apartment is making sure that your rental agreement allows for subletting. You can check with the landlord, review the terms of your lease, or contact the property manager, depending on your situation. Once you have the approval to sublet the apartment, you can obtain any requirements for the person who will sublease the space. Your landlord will require you to find someone who agrees to the terms in the lease and follows the rules.
2. Create an Online Listing
In today’s tech-focused world, most people looking for a place to live will start their search online. When you’re wondering how to find someone to sublease your apartment, the first step is creating an online listing. Posting online is the best way to find a sublet. You can post your listing on a number of sites, including social media sites, online classified sites, and short-term and long-term rental sites. While you’re online, use your own social media accounts to share information about the unit you have available for subletting to get the word out. You might have a friend or friend of a friend looking for a place.
3. “Open” Your Home
If you’re open to having people walk through your home, consider setting up an open house that allows interested parties to see the space. Make sure your home is clean and well-organized to make it look as appealing as possible to potential renters. If you’re not comfortable having anyone in your home, take a walkthrough video on your phone and use it as a virtual tour option for potential subletters to see your space.
4. Screening Applicants
Before you sublet your unit to the first person who responds to your listing, make sure you know how to screen the applicants so you can choose the right person. After all, you maintain responsibility for the space and any damages. If you live in a place that has a strict no pets policy, you want to make sure that the subletter you choose won’t bring in a dog or cat. It’s also important to make sure that the subletter has the financial means to pay the rent and can afford the monthly cost.
As you look into how to find subleases and the screening process for applicants, it’s important to understand that you cannot ask certain questions or rule out a potential subletter for certain reasons. Some of the most common fair housing laws in states across the U.S. prevent discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, religion, sex, disability, familial status, and color.
Offering a formal application process for your sublet is the best way to get the information you need upfront to run a background check and find the right subletter. You will need the applicant’s social security number to run a credit check, and you may want to request references you can contact, along with details about their previous rental history. In order to run a background and credit check on an applicant, you do need their approval, so include a note at the bottom about your plan to run these checks and have them sign to indicate their approval.
5. Create Your Own Rental Agreement
Although the person moving into your space won’t have a formal agreement with the landlord, it’s smart to create your own sublease agreement that will be in effect between them and you. Your landlord or property management company may require a copy of the agreement, and you should provide a signed copy to the subletter as well. Templates for subletting rental agreements are available online, so you don’t have to start from scratch to create your own.
Plan Ahead
As you learn how to find a subleaser and take steps to locate the right person to move into your home, it’s important to know that you’re still the person responsible for the unit. You will be the one to return the keys to the landlord when the lease agreement term ends, and you will receive the security deposit back from your landlord, if applicable. As the person on the rental agreement, you are also fully responsible for any damages incurred by the subletter.
Make sure you have a plan in place to protect yourself and the person subletting your space. You may collect a security deposit from the subletter and keep it until you receive your deposit back or have the unit inspected. You should also make a plan to get the keys back at the end of the term so that you can return them to the landlord.
If you have roommates, consider talking to them or providing a written request of consent to subletting your room. They’ll be sharing the space with the new person coming in, so their approval helps keep the peace and maintains a positive living atmosphere for everyone. You could even get lucky and find out that one of your roommates has a friend who is looking for a place and wants to move in to take over your spot.
Now that you know how to find someone to sublease your apartment, you can get started finding the applicant who is best suited for your living space. Create your own online listing, showcase what makes your home so appealing, and start screening people who apply to make sure that the person who moves in is able to commit to the rules and keep up with the monthly rent.
Now it’s your turn to find a new apartment. Search thousands of apartments for rent on Zumper and get your subletter lined up so you can enjoy your new home.
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