Before you start the process, it is important to understand what subleasing actually means for you as the tenant.

The most important disclaimer is that you (the tenant) are still ultimately responsible for the subtenant and your responsibilities of the lease. Think of subleasing as just a way to help carry out your responsibilities of the lease, but a sublease agreement does not remove you from the lease.

Also, when you sublease to someone, you are now assuming the role of the landlord in relation to the subtenant. Baker Street may still communicate with the subtenant and receive rent payments directly from the subtenant, but you (the tenant) will still need to be involved and may need to facilitate.

If there is a problem with the subtenant, such as missing rent payments or broken lease terms, you (the tenant) are responsible.

If you are on a joint and several lease (AKA group lease) with other people, all tenants on the lease must agree to the subtenant and sign the sublease agreement. If other tenants do not approve of your subtenant, you will not be authorized to sublease.

Lastly, Baker Street shall charge a $150.00 subleasing fee. This can be paid by either you (the tenant) or the subtenant. We also charge a $95.00 lease processing fee to any subtenants being added to a lease. The fees will be added to the online ledger after the subleasing process is complete.

Subtenant Search

Like all other aspects of subleasing, the search for a subtenant is solely the tenant's responsibility. However, Baker Street can provide advice and tips.

Typically, the best subtenant is a friend or someone you/your group members know. Remember, you are going to be entering into a contract with this person, and you ultimately remain responsible for the lease and rent payments; therefore, it can be helpful to already trust this person.

If you do not already know of someone who you can sublease to, the best place to advertise is online through various rental and apartment websites. If you are associated with U of M, they offer other resources as well.

We recommend checking out Sublease Market. Their platform allows you to create a sublease listing, browse listings, and contact prospective subtenants. And it's completely free to use!

You are also entirely responsible for providing tours and leasing details to all subtenant prospects.

Subtenant Application

Once you have found a subtenant (or a promising prospect), that person will need to fill out an application and get approval from Baker Street. 

Please fill out our Subtenant Form for Baker Street to send the potential subtenant an application. Please note that just filling out this form is NOT approval for the subtenant.

This person will have to go through the same application process as you did to sign the lease. Check out our Filling Out An Application page for more details on the application process.

A sublease agreement is very important. This document will communicate each person’s responsibilities, so you both will have a mutual understanding of the terms. It is the current tenant's responsibility to fill out the sublease agreement and have the subtenant sign as well. Be sure to be as thorough as possible when completing the sublease agreement to ensure there is no confusion.

Also note, if there are other tenants on the lease, they will all need to sign the sublease agreement as well to give their approval of the subtenant.

This is Baker Street's approved Sublease Agreement.

Once the sublease agreement is completed and signed by all tenants and subtenants, please send to leasing@221b.rentals for Baker Street to countersign. The executed version of the sublease agreement will then be uploaded to the online account for everyone to reference.

Note, it is your responsibility to provide the subtenant with a copy of the original lease agreement.

We recommend that the subtenant pay rent directly to Baker Street, so once the sublease agreement is completed, Baker Street will approve the subtenant's application and add him/her to your online account. Note, the subtenant will have a separate log in, but will have access to the lease ledger and be able to make rent payments directly along with all other tenants.

The subtenant will create a log in, just as you did. As a reminder of this process, check out our Activating Your Online Account page.

Note, you (as the tenant) will not be removed from your online account, so you will still be able to make rent payments too and view the ledger to monitor when your subtenant makes payments.

It is important to understand that the sublease agreement does not change the original security deposit process for Baker Street. Baker Street will still refund the security deposit to you directly, or if you are part of a group lease with other tenants, a single check will be returned to the group’s designated person. The security deposit refund check can take up to 30 days to be postmarked after the lease expiration date.

However, if you would like to coordinate a different arrangement with your subtenant for the security deposit, this should be included on the sublease agreement and will be your sole responsibility to handle.

Often tenants who sublease will do one of two options for the security deposit:

The first would be for the subtenant to pay the tenant directly for the security deposit, or if it's a group lease, his/her portion of the group's security deposit. Then at the end of the lease, the tenant will forward the security deposit refund to the subtenant, or if it's a group lease, the subtenant will collect the designated portion from the group instead of the tenant.

The second option would be for the subtenant to not pay anything for the security deposit. Then at the end of the lease, the subtenant will not be involved at all. The tenant would collect the security deposit refund, or if it's a group lease, the tenant would still collect the designated portion from the group.

Either option does not affect how Baker Street will issue the security deposit refund check at the end of the lease. Just be sure you and your subtenant have agreed to an arrangement on the sublease agreement, or at least in writing.

Check out the Security Deposit Refund page for more details on the security deposit refund process, and be sure to review the Security Deposit clauses in the lease.