A sublease is an arrangement in which a tenant transfers some or all occupancy rights to another person while the original lease remains in place.
Why It Matters
Subleasing matters because it changes who is actually occupying the property without automatically ending the original lease obligations. It can affect consent issues, rent responsibility, and possession disputes.
Where It Appears
Subleases appear in residential and commercial leasing when the original tenant wants another person or business to occupy the premises for part or all of the term.
Practical Example
A tenant moves temporarily and rents the apartment to another person for the remaining months of the lease. That arrangement may be a sublease.
How It Differs From Nearby Terms
A lease is the original landlord-tenant agreement. A sublease sits underneath that agreement. A month-to-month tenancy is different because it describes duration, not whether the occupancy was transferred by an existing tenant.
Related Terms
Knowledge Check
- What is a sublease? It is an arrangement where a tenant transfers occupancy rights to another person while the original lease still exists.
- Does a sublease automatically erase the original tenant’s lease obligations? Not usually. The original lease relationship often still matters.