How to Sublet Your Apartment in 5 Easy Steps
July 20, 2018
Picture this: You just renewed your lease on your apartment, which you absolutely adore, but you just got offered your dream job in a different state besides Wisconsin. Maybe you’ve been thinking about buying a house for a while now, and the perfect one just hit the market in Madison, WI. Possibly your apartment isn’t pet friendly and you’re dying to get a dog. In all 3 situations, you want out of your lease ASAP and you’ll need to find a subletter.
Step 1: Understand How Subletting Works
Subletting at the McKenzie Apartment Company works as follows:
- You are responsible for your lease until you find a subletter
- Any subletters must apply and submit a $100.00 application fee to the office just as you did when you first applied to live at a McKenzie Apartment Company property
- All subletters must be approved by the property manager to live at a McKenzie Apartment Company property
- Once a subletter has been found and approved, we will break the tenant’s current lease and write up an entirely new lease for the subletter. This new lease can either be for A) The duration of your current lease at your current rental rate or B) a 12 Month Lease at the Market Rental Rate. If the subletter chooses to only fulfill the duration of your current lease, the current tenant is responsible for all turnover of the unit including cleaning, touch up painting, carpet cleaning, etc. If the subletter were to sign a 1-year lease, turnover will be taken care of by the property.
- Current tenants will be returned their security deposit 21 days after their lease termination date less any charges for damages and subletters will be required to put down a new security deposit at the time of lease signing.
- Any deals made between the subletter and the current tenant must be worked out between the two of them and will not be reflected in the lease.
Step 2: Check In With Your Property Manager
You’ll want to check in with your property manager to let them know you’re thinking about subletting. Sometimes your manager is able to help advertise your apartment to potential renters depending on what other apartments they have coming available. Our property managers are always obligated to rent what we don’t have under lease yet first, but if we have nothing similar to your unit coming available, your apartment could be first on our list for inquiries.
Step 3: Advertise Your Apartment Online
Online listing websites like Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace are great places to start. You could also look further into apartment listing sites such as Abodo, or join sublet groups on Facebook that are full of people looking to sublet or find a subletter for their apartment. It’s always smart to start talking to your friends and family about how you are looking to sublet your apartment as they may be looking or know someone looking for a new place in Madison, Verona, or Middleton! You’ll want to make sure you are the main point of contact for any inquiries that come as a result of your advertising, however, as our property managers are aware of what specific listings you have out on the internet.
Step 4: Show Your Apartment
Make sure your apartment is in tip top shape for apartment showings- the better it looks, the more likely someone will want to live there! We recommend even putting some chocolate chip cookies in the oven or lighting a candle to make it more inviting!
Step 5: Applications and Lease Signing
Once you find someone that wants to sublet the apartment, just have them submit an application, which can be done online at our website, mckenzie-apartments.com, and drop off the $100.00 application fee to the office. You’ll want to check in with the manager to let them know that the application is for someone subletting your apartment, and once they are approved, the manager will reach out to the both of you to have the new lease and your lease termination form signed.
Have you ever had to find a sublet for your apartment? How did the process go for you? We’d love to hear in the comments below!
