If your lease says you can sublet the unit, you are allowed to rent the apartment out without your landlord even knowing about it. However, you would be on the hook for any damages or issues. If your lease doesn’t explain how/if you can break it, just ask your landlord. If you are not allowed to find a new tenant or break your lease, your landlord will expect you to pay out the remainder of your lease—regardless of whether you’re there or not. There may be an early termination fee that you can pay upfront to break your lease at any time. The average cost to break an apartment lease this way ranges from 1 to 3 months rent. [2] X Research source
The earlier you bring this up, the more likely your landlord will be to work with you. If it’s May and you know you need to move in September, don’t wait until the last week of August to say something.
If you’ve had a good relationship with your landlord, it’s very possible that they’ll immediately agree to let you find a new tenant or break your lease and move. You might tell your landlord you’d be willing to pay an extra month’s rent as a “termination fee,” or tell them they could keep your security deposit. Tell your landlord they might be able to find a new tenant who will pay more than you currently do for rent.
Your landlord may tell you that they’d like to cover the entire process, from finding a tenant to having them fill out the application. Alternatively, they may just ask to cover showings, or set up appointments for an open house.
An unsafe rental unit that is uninhabitable. Your landlord has violated your privacy rights. Your landlord has failed to provide required rental licenses. You’ve been enlisted for active military duty.
If this does end up going this way, look online to see if there is free legal help for renters. There are often free legal services for renters who end up being sued by their landlords.
You might write something like, “Recently renovated 2 bedroom unit on a beautiful, quiet block in Lincoln Park. Rent is $1,000 a month, and the unit is available starting June 1st. ” Include photos of your unit! If you don’t want to take new photos yourself, ask your landlord for the older photos from when you originally rented the place. You may need to pay $50-100 for posting on some listing sites.
You might write, “2 bedroom 1 bath available 6/1 in Lincoln Park. Call 555-9283 to set up showing. ” Even if you’ve never used a newspaper to apartment hunt, a lot of folks still do—especially since there are so many scams online. Advertising in a smaller local paper shouldn’t be especially expensive. Expect to spend $25-100.
You can also ask your friends to share your post so that you can connect with friends of friends and widen your search a bit.
You could point out how great the landlord is or how friendly your neighbors are. You might tell them about great local restaurants or shops that are in walking distance.
Leave some furniture behind. Moving something like a couch can be a real pain, and offering to leave something behind can be a big deal! Cover a month’s rent. If the choice is between paying 2+ months rent while your apartment sits empty and covering 1 month, paying that 1 month doesn’t look like such a bad move. Help cover background check and application fee. This small gesture can mean a lot if someone is limited on funds.
Talk to a lawyer to make 100% sure that subletting is allowed where you live. If you do this when you aren’t allowed to, you could end up in serious legal trouble. Keep in mind, you will be personally responsible if anything goes wrong with the unit.
Submit as many applications as you possibly can. Try not to turn away anyone who is interested in the place—even if you think they won’t get approved. You never know who your landlord will choose!
If they don’t ask for anything in writing but they have the new tenant sign a lease, you’re in the clear. You are not obligated to sign anything if someone else has contract saying it’s their unit.
If your landlord doesn’t do a walk-through with you, take photos and videos of the apartment. This way, if your landlord claims you’ve damaged the unit, you’ll have proof that the apartment was left intact.
