Renting an apartment is not easy, most especially if your job requires you to frequently move to different places. There are always these instances when you immediately need to move out from your apartment and cannot afford to stay longer. In this situation, you must be aware on how to sublet your apartment.
Apartment subleasing is a perfect alternative in avoiding breaching the contracts that you have signed when you have stated the lease. Another good thing about apartment subleasing is that, depending on the subleasing agreements that you have laid on the table with the landlord, you may opt to keep your name as the primary tenant in that apartment if you decide to return at a later date.
Staying On The Legal Track
Once you have decided to sublet your apartment, you cannot immediately open your apartment for viewing. It is vital for you to consult with your landlord to check if you are allowed to sublease your apartment. There are some lease contracts which highly forbid subletting the property and therefore, subleasing your apartment would violate the contract and may lead to legal actions and fines at the end of the day. Still, discussing the options with your landlord is the best option that you have to avoid these possible legal crises.
You also have to keep in mind that you can sublease your apartment for the period that the apartment is under your name. So for example, you have rented the apartment for one year, and you decided to move out on the sixth month, you can only sublet the apartment for the next six months.
Looking For A Sublessee
Now that you already got the approval of your landlord to sublease your apartment, the next thing to do is to look for a tenant. Doing this step is fairly easy and would just entail you to place advertisements and lisitngs referring to the apartment for subleasing. You can list your ad in newspapers, websites and other classified listings. Also, be sure to include in your listing that you would need the tenant to move in immediately and move out once your contract expires.
Also, be sure to include the rates and your contact information. In no time, you would already receive calls inquiring about the apartment.
Setting The Rules With The Tenant
Now that you’ve already found your tenant, remember that you will have to create a separate agreement which will be between you and the tenant. You also have to remember that you are still legally bound to the contract which you have previously signed with the landlord and subleasing your apartment would not, in any way, unbind you from the contract which you have signed with your landlord. Still, you are the tenant responsible for the apartment.
There should also be a provision in the contract which should explicitly state that the same rules and regulations in the contract that you have signed with the landlord will be followed. Also, if the subtenant happens to violate the rules stated in the contract you will be answerable to your landlord and the same way, your subtenant will be answerable to you as the original tenant. Say for example, if the subtenant happens to damage the apartment one way or another, you will be the one to pay your landlord for the damages; likewise you have to pursue your subtenant to pay you the amount that you’ve paid to your landlord.
Also remember that in terms of payment, you have to be the one to pay your bills to your landlord, so you’ll act like a middleman- your subtenant will pay you the money and subsequently, you’ll pay the money to your landlord.
Engaging yourself in subleasing your apartment might be quite a hassle for you but it is a great alternative to do in case you really are in a hurry to move and you cannot just finish the contract with your landlord but do not have the money to pay for the pre-termination of your lease.