Sublease AgreementUnited States · PDF
Required: As Sublessor, you remain 100% liable to your original Landlord under the Master Lease - even after subletting. If the Sublessee fails to pay rent or damages the property, you are responsible to the Landlord. This document protects your legal rights against the Sublessee.

If subletting your entire home, this will be your forwarding / new address.

The entire property will be turned over to the Sublessee during the sublease term.

Master Lease End Date (Reference):
Optional but strongly recommended - used only to validate the date range above.
% of monthly rent
Why This Matters: The Master Lease contains every rule your original Landlord will enforce - pet restrictions, noise rules, parking, guest policies, smoking bans. Without this clause, your Sublessee can claim they "didn't know" the rules, but you still get held responsible for every violation. This clause makes the Sublessee contractually liable for all breaches of the Master Lease.

Sublessee will acknowledge in writing that they have received a copy of the Master Lease and agree to comply with all its terms.

Required: The vast majority of US leases prohibit subletting without the original Landlord's written consent. Subletting without it is a breach of the Master Lease - you, your Sublessee, and all occupants could face immediate eviction. This consent block creates a permanent, signed record that the Landlord authorized this sublease.

A Landlord Consent section will appear at the bottom of the document for the original Landlord to sign, confirming approval of this sublease while acknowledging that Sublessor's primary obligations under the Master Lease continue.

Note: You likely have a large deposit held by your original Landlord. If your Sublessee damages the property, that deposit is at risk. Collecting a separate deposit from the Sublessee creates a direct financial recovery mechanism - the Sublessee's deposit pays for the Sublessee's damage before your deposit is touched.

Typically 1 month's rent. Some states cap residential security deposits.

CA law requires 21 days. TX: 30 days. FL: 15/30/60 days. Verify your state's specific requirement.

Know Your Responsibility: If the Sublessee stops paying you, you still owe rent to your Landlord. This section defines exactly when you can begin the eviction process and ensures that attorney's fees and court costs are recoverable from the defaulting Sublessee.

Sublessee must pay overdue rent within this many days of written notice, or eviction proceedings begin. This matches the statutory period auto-set by state below.

For non-payment violations (noise, damage, unauthorized pets), Sublessee gets this long to cure the breach.

If "Yes": the party who loses any legal dispute over this Sublease pays the prevailing party's reasonable attorney's fees and court costs. Strongly deters frivolous defaults and disputes.

Why This Matters: Subleases are usually furnished. When the Sublessee leaves, fights over the sofa, missing TV, and scratched floors are the #1 source of security deposit disputes. This checklist - signed by both parties at move-in - becomes legally binding evidence of each item's condition, protecting both sides.

An Exhibit A table will be appended to the PDF. Both parties complete and sign it at move-in.

Required: If this residential property was built before 1978, Sublessor is federally required to disclose known lead-based paint hazards to the Sublessee before the sublease takes effect. Failure to comply carries civil penalties up to $19,107 per violation and private right of action by the Sublessee.