Subletting Apartments in NYC

Sublets are common in New York City.

There are two types of sublets. Legal sublets are arranged between the landlord and the tenant. The tenant has to request permission to have someone else lease the apartment for a period of time.

The limit on a sublease is two years, after which the tenant may lose the right to return to the apartment. This is particularly true in rent stabilized apartments where the rent reduction is meant to apply to only a primary residence. If someone moves out and attempts to keep the apartment because of the attractive rent, the landlord has the right to reclaim the apartment and raise the rent when a new tenant moves in. Very often a landlord will not agree to a sub-tenant moving in. That leads to the second type of sublease common in New York.

Illegal Sublets

Many sublet apartments in Manhattan are illegal sublets. The person who has the lease just makes an arrangement with a second renter without involving the landlord. (You may be told by the person renting you the apartment that you should tell anyone who asks that you are a friend or relative of the original tenant.) Technically, if the landlord finds out that you are subletting illegally you can be evicted.

Ususally in these cases, the person who holds the lease is charging you more than they are paying in rent... often several hundred dollars a month more. You can understand why landlords are not happy to have these arrangements in their buildings. The landlord pays all of the expenses of the apartment and the primary tenant makes a profit on the apartment.

The main reason why this is done is that many landlords will not agree to subtenants. If you plan on being away for an extended period of time - say at school out of state or on a 6 month job assignment - you will need to continue to pay the rent on your apartment while you are gone and also pay expenses where you are staying.

Therefore, it makes sense to have someone stay in your apartment to cover the rent until you return. If the landlord is not agreeable, however, you have the option of giving up your apartment -- a very hard thing to do in New York City -- or subletting without the permission of the landlord.

Be Careful Out There

Subletting your apartment without the landlord's knowledge and consent means that if you are reported, you will be evicted. Renting from a tenant without the landlord's consent means that you are also open to being evicted.

If you want to make sure that you are not subletting an apartment without the landlord's knowledge, make sure that you get this cleared up and in writing...before you enter into any agreements.

The following links will lead you to resources for sublets in New York City. Midmanhattan.com does not have any affiliate relationship with these groups. We include them because we have heard good things about their service and the apartments they provide:

Craigs List New York

Sublet in the City

New York City Reference

To Sublet

Village Voice Classified Sublet

 

also see in NYC Apartments -> Furnished or Corporate Apartments

Roommates | Sublets | Unfurnished Apartments | Vacation Rentals