Pros and Cons of Subletting Your Apartment

Subletting your apartment is not always a good idea, because of the legal ramifications. You never know whether you’ll end up with a bad sublessee, who won’t pay rent or destroy the apartment while you’re away. If you are out of the country temporarily or in a distant state, it can be difficult to deal with those situations. By the time you get back, it might be too late. Some tenants you sublease to may also try to get you out of the apartment, and you’ll return to an eviction notice from the landlord. A sublease can work out and benefit everyone involved, but you should carefully weigh the pros and cons.

Pros of Subletting Your Apartment

There are some reasons why subletting your apartment may be a good idea, and even a necessity. The pros of subletting are:

• You don’t have to leave the apartment your love
• Someone else can pay your rent while you’re gone
• You can earn supplemental income from rent money
• Having a physical presence in the apartment will help to prevent apartment robbery
• A subtenant can alert you and the landlord to urgent repair issues, which you’ll miss if you’re away
• You won’t have to move out early, and a longer rent history at one apartment may help you rent future apartments

You may not be able to reap all of these benefits, so it’s important to prioritize what’s most important to you. If it’s difficult to find housing in the area where the apartment is located, and you don’t want to lose it, then that benefit alone may be enough of a pro to sublet.

Cons of Subletting Your Apartment

You should be wary of subletting your apartment because there are risks, and the risks are serious. Some of the cons of subletting are:

• The tenant you sublease to can steal your things
• Many subtenants damage the apartment on purpose, which you’ll have to pay for in many cases
• The landlord may evict you if subletting violates the lease agreement
• The sublessee may not pay rent at all or on time, and you’ll have to pay late fees and late rent payments
• If the person decides that they want the apartment, they may try to take it over and get the landlord to throw you out
• You may have to take them to court to evict them, which is hard to do if you’re not in the state or country
• You may sublet to a criminal without knowing it, because you did not do a thorough background check
• Other tenants may hate your sublessee and resent you for it
• You could be robbed by someone else if the sublessee is not a careful or watchful tenant

The cons outweigh the pros in most cases for subletting, and it should be considered only as a last resort.

If you do decide that subletting your apartment is right for you, make sure that you have written permission. The lease agreement should clearly give you permission to sublet, or you may need to amend the lease and get you landlord to sign it.