What NOT to Do When You're a Subtenant

By Elana Goodwin on October 24, 2016

As a subtenant, you’ll be living in someone else’s home and room for an agreed upon duration. While of course you should feel comfortable and make yourself at home when you’re living in your sublet, you also need to keep in mind that it’s not actually your permanent home but is in fact someone else’s, or at least it’s someone else’s more permanent temporary home.

To that end, there are certain do’s and don’ts for subtenants to follow in order to make the subletting experience a good one for all involved. Here’s what not to do when you’re a subtenant.

Photo Credit: Pixabay.com

Don’t Move Furniture. Unless you discuss it with whoever you’re subleasing it from and get their okay, don’t move any furniture. There’s probably some rhyme or reason to why things are set up the way they are and unless the way things are arranged is completely unlivable, everything should pretty much stay as is.

This especially goes for bigger pieces of furniture, like beds, couches, dressers, and tables, which may end up damaged if you tried to move it yourself. Smaller items might be more okay to move for the duration of your sublet, such as desks if they’re more portable or chairs, but even moving those items should be okay-ed before you start rearranging.

If you do move furniture, with or without the real tenant’s okay, know that you may be liable not just for any damages that come to the tenant’s property, but also for any damages, nicks, rips, or scratches that come to the landlord’s, such as the carpeting, flooring, walls, etc.

Think about whether the items you want to move really need to be moved and whether whatever you might have to pay in the end is worth the risk before you go moving any furniture without permission.

Don’t Break the Rules. As a subtenant, you probably had to sign a sublease agreement with the actual tenant and also the landlord. In doing so, you agreed to meet certain expectations and follow various rules that go with living in the apartment or house you’re subletting.

While there are bound to be different rules at various housing complexes and rentals, you should always strive to be not just a good tenant but also a good neighbor. Don’t make the landlord or your subleaser regret allowing you to be a subtenant. That means throwing parties, being loud late at night (especially on school nights), leaving trash bags where you’re not supposed to, etc., are all big no-no’s.

Breaking the rules may result in some sort of fee or fine and won’t win you any points with your landlord or the person you sublet from. If you’ve moved in as a subtenant to a place with an already present roommate, consider making your own set of rules with them as a roommate agreement and going over the rules of the apartment, house, or general landlord’s expectations so you can be a good subtenant.

Don’t Use Items That Don’t Belong to You. There may be items around the apartment or house that belong to the person you’re subletting from or the roommates who are still living there. As a subtenant, you’re somewhat of an interloper when it comes to living in the place with others, so you’ll want to doubly make sure not to use items that don’t belong to you. If your subleaser left a printer in the room you’re renting from them, ask them before you go using up their ink and paper.

Of course, items like dressers, hangers, and other things more purposefully left behind for your use are fine to use even though they don’t belong to you, but always check first when it comes to other items that may not have been intended for your use while you’re a subtenant.

Don’t Be Late With the Rent. This is a big one and should be obvious; don’t be late with rent. Depending on your agreement with your subleaser and the landlord, you may be paying rent to the subleaser who then pays it to the landlord or you may be paying directly to the landlord. Either way, being late with the rent not only may result in additional late fees (for you or your subleaser), but it also doesn’t make you or the subleaser look good in the eyes of the landlord.

Don’t Assume Anything. If you’re not sure of something, don’t make an assumption and act on it. It’s always better to ask permission even if it’s not needed, rather than have to apologize after and potentially cause discord in your relationship with your subleaser and the landlord. Make sure you have the number or email of the subleaser, information on how to reach the landlord, or know which roommate to ask for advice as a subtenant.

Overall, treat the apartment or house you’re living in as a subtenant as you’d want your own place and things to be treated and you’ll ensure the subletting experience is a good one for yourself, your subleaser, and the landlord.

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