Sublet
A sublet is when a tenant rents their unit to another person temporarily while retaining legal responsibility under the lease.
September 30, 2025
What is a Sublet?
A sublet is a rental arrangement where a tenant rents out their unit to another person (the subtenant) for a set period, while retaining legal responsibility under the original lease. Sublets usually require landlord consent under provincial laws.
Why Subletting Matters in Real Estate
Sublets matter in real estate because they provide tenants flexibility when temporarily leaving a unit while ensuring lease obligations continue. For landlords, sublets involve risk if subtenants fail to comply with lease terms.
Example of Subletting in Action
A tenant in Toronto takes a temporary job abroad and sublets their apartment to a friend for six months, with landlord approval. The original tenant remains liable for rent and damages.
Key Takeaways
- Tenant rents out unit to a subtenant temporarily.
- Original tenant remains legally responsible under lease.
- Sublets usually require landlord approval.
- Provides flexibility for tenants needing temporary absence.
- Risks include subtenant non-compliance or damages.
Related Terms
- Assignment
- Lease Agreement
- Tenant Rights
- Residential Tenancies Act
- Landlord Consent
6525 Mississauga Road and its surrounding context. (RBC Capital Markets & CBRE)
Property details for 6525 Mississauga Road. (RBC Capital Markets & CBRE)
National average resale-price growth and housing-starts growth, smoothed over three months. The comparison illustrates the cycle; it does not establish how much a price change causes construction to change.
Trailing 12-month starts in centres of 50,000 or more remove the usual monthly seasonality. Ownership combines the homeowner and condominium categories; rental is shown separately.
Six-month averages of provincial starts, expressed at annual rates. The smoothing reduces the influence of individual apartment projects.
The same August benchmark compared with two different starting points. Three-month changes are not annualized.
Average sale prices show the difference in purchase costs across markets. They do not measure affordability relative to local incomes or construction costs.
Newfoundland and Labrador remains above its pre-pandemic sales pattern, but August activity was below last year. Historical lines retain their original release vintages.
Average and median describe different aspects of the same month’s transactions. Both are affected by the mix of homes sold.
Category averages compare different homes and locations; the gaps are not estimates of the cost to upgrade an otherwise identical property.
The five categories shown account for 5,000 of the board’s 5,057 sales. The remaining 57 transactions were in other housing categories.
Monthly observations are not seasonally adjusted. Active listings count properties available at month-end; they are not construction inventory.
Average and median prices share one dollar axis. These unadjusted transaction measures do not control for changes in the homes sold.
TRREB’s 416/905 categories compare the apartments sold in each area. The difference does not isolate a location premium for equivalent units.
5680 Oak Street in Vancouver and its surrounding context. (MCMP Architects)
Ground-level renderings of the tower proposed for 5680 Oak Street in Vancouver. (MCMP Architects)