A sublease agreement is a written contract in which a tenant, called the sublessor, rents all or part of a rented home to another person, called the subtenant. This free sublease agreement template covers the parties, the rent, the term and the details of the space. It can help when family members move out or you need extra income during your lease agreement. Download the PDF or create the document online, then follow the steps below.
Last Updated: October 2026. This guide is reviewed and updated regularly to reflect current law. If you notice an error or outdated information, please contact us.
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A sublease occurs when the original tenant leases out a smaller space inside the entire property. The tenant who has signed a prime or original lease can act as the “landlord” in this case. Since sublease agreements involve a third-party tenant who may be oblivious to the prime lease, it is, therefore, the sublessor’s responsibility to ensure that both agreements are seamlessly enforceable.
Here are some important definitions that you will encounter in a subleasing agreement:
Consent to Sublease Form — This document enables a tenant to get the landlord’s permission to sublet the leased property or its part.
A sublease works best when a rental has room to spare or a tenant needs to leave early. The four situations below are the most common ones, each with a short note on why a sublease can fit.
A sublease agreement is a great way to make use of extra space to gain another source of income. Still, it comes with its pros and cons. The original tenant (sublessor) must weight this advantage against security concerns, additional responsibilities, and the effort of writing a sublease agreement. To make the subleasing process easier, you may download our free agreement template above.
Subleasing goes more smoothly when you prepare before you draft the agreement. The six steps below run from copying your original lease to agreeing on the terms with your subtenant. Work through them in order and keep every document together.
Find your original agreement and photocopy it. This will allow you to highlight important provisions so that nothing is missed when you draft the sublease agreement. You may also show this to your subtenant if ever he or she requests it.
If the original agreement does not say anything about subleasing, check with the original landlord. Whether governing laws state that you should get your landlord’s signature or not, it’s best to inform him or her.
Measure the total floor space in square feet of the area you want to rent out. Compare with your existing rent per square feet and calculate how much you should charge.
Like a regular rental, the space must be in good condition so that you can get inquiries. Set it up and take pictures. Make sure that the room design fits the personality and demographics of your ideal subtenant.
Once you have the rent amount and pictures of the room or space, list it online. Alternatively, you may have it published in the local newspaper.
Talk with your prospective subtenant and agree on the provisions of your sublease contract. You may draft one using our free sublease agreement below. This is fully editable, so you can easily make changes during your negotiation with the subtenant.
The free Sublease Agreement is a PDF made for one sublessor and one subtenant. It includes a block for the landlord’s consent. These are the parts of the document you fill in:
| Document Name | Sublease Agreement Form |
| Other Names | Sublease Contract, Subletting Contract |
| Avg. Time to Fill Out | 9 minutes |
| # of Fillable Fields | 33 |
| Available Formats | Adobe PDF |
These steps follow the FormsPal Sublease Agreement template that this page hands out, from the opening paragraph to the landlord’s consent block. Download the PDF with the link near the top of the page, open it in a PDF reader or the FormsPal PDF editor, and work through the steps in order.
The screenshots under each step show the FormsPal Sublease Agreement template filled with sample entries in blue, so you can see where each answer goes. The names, addresses, dates and amounts are examples only.
Have these details ready before you start:
Step 1: Opening paragraph
In the first paragraph of page 1, enter the Effective Date, the full legal name of the Sublessor and the full legal name of the Subtenant. The Sublessor is the tenant who holds the Prime Lease.
Step 2: Recitals
Under Recitals, enter the Landlord’s name, the date of the Prime Lease and the address of the Property, which you can copy from the original lease. Then write the Unit number the Subtenant will sublease.
Step 3: Section 1: pets
Initial one box under the pets line. Choose pets permitted and write the conditions on the blank, or choose pets prohibited.
Step 4: Section 1: parking
Initial one box under the parking line. Either describe the parking included on the blank, or choose the box that says parking is not included.
Step 5: Section 1: furniture and the start of Section 2
Initial the furnished or unfurnished box. Then enter the Sublease Commencement Date at the start of Section 2, which is the day the Subtenant can move in.
Step 6: Section 2: Term
Before filling this out, the original tenant must make sure that he or she has already secured a long-term contract with the original landlord or lessor. Initial one box, either month-to-month until the Prime Lease ends, or a fixed term with the length written on the blank.
Step 7: Section 3: Rent
Enter the monthly rent in dollars, for example $200.00. Then enter the day of the month rent is due, such as the 5th.
Step 8: Section 3: utilities
Initial one box. Choose utilities included in the Rent, a fixed monthly utilities amount (write the dollars on the blank), or the Subtenant’s fair and proportionate share.
Step 9: Section 3: security deposit amount
If the Sublessor holds a security deposit, initial the first box and write the deposit amount on the blank. Base rent payments usually have a cap of 150%.
Step 10: Section 3: no security deposit
If there is no deposit, initial this second box instead of the deposit box above and leave the amount blank.
Step 11: Signature block: Sublessor
On page 4, the Sublessor signs on the By line and prints their name on the Name line.
Step 12: Signature block: Subtenant
The Subtenant signs on the By line below and prints their name on the Name line.
Step 13: Consent of Landlord under Prime Lease
Enter the Prime Lease date and the date the landlord gave consent. Then add the Landlord’s name, and have the landlord sign on the By line and fill in the Name and Title lines.
Once the blanks are filled in, the last tasks are reading the standard terms, signing, collecting the landlord’s consent and attaching any extras. Work through the list in order, and keep a signed copy for the sublessor and one for the subtenant.
Sections 4 to 11 are all standard provisions in residential leases. It is best if both the original tenant and the subtenant review these terms before signing the sublease agreement. If there is a need to revise any of these, FormsPal recommends consulting with a lawyer or any legal counsel.
The subtenant and the original tenant must also agree on the payment type that is convenient and acceptable to both. This may be through bank transfer or through post-dated checks. If a property manager visits the premises often, the subtenant may opt to give it to him or her. Otherwise, payments are typically handed to the original tenant.
Once both the subtenant and the primary tenant agree to the terms set forth in the sublease agreement, they must sign all pages. The signature lines for the Sublessor and the Subtenant are on page 4 of the template.
Laws vary from state to state. Though most require original lease (also called “prime” or “master lease”) tenants to obtain the permission of the original landlord, some states do not have a fixed governing law. Regardless of where the property is located, it is still best to inform the landlord and respect him or her by properly asking for permission to sublease. The last page of the agreement allows you to do this.
Since the original tenant and the subtenant will typically share the premises, both parties can attach the following riders if applicable:
These are the questions people ask most often about subleasing. Each answer is short, and you can open the one that matches your situation. For anything specific to your own lease, check with your landlord or a lawyer before you sign.
Any property can be used for sublease as long as:
Though a verbal sublease contract is legally enforceable, the hearsay nature of this agreement will make legal proceedings chaotic. Therefore, it is highly encouraged that a sublease agreement is written so that both the primary tenant and subtenant can rest assured that conditions in the agreement will be followed.
Terminating a sublease agreement is similar to any lease. The subtenant must simply write to the original tenant that he or she will be terminating it early. The subtenant must then go through the turnover process as agreed upon. However, this may mean that the security deposit will be forfeited.
You may refer to Section 2 (Lease Term) of our free downloadable template.
There will always be security concerns when you sublease. To avoid safety issues and property damage, make sure to do a full background check on your subtenant. It is important to note, however, that in a sublease, the original tenant is still fully responsible for the entire property.
If the subtenant violates the prime or master lease, the original tenant must immediately make amends. In some states, the primary tenant can be spared from damages caused by the subtenant if a waiver between the three parties has been signed. On the other hand, if the subtenant has paid a security deposit, then it shall be used to amend the problem.
The primary tenant’s additional income will be reported to the Internal Revenue Service using Form “Schedule E (Form 1040 or 1040-SR), Supplemental Income and Loss”. At the beginning of the rent, the security deposit given by the subtenant should also be reported. These are then typically adjusted when lease terms end and deposits are returned.
The free PDF is made for one sublessor and one subtenant. You enter the parties, the Prime Lease details, the pets, parking and furniture choices, the term, the rent, the utilities and the security deposit. The last page has the signature lines and a block for the landlord’s consent.
Yes. The PDF has fillable fields, so you can click each one and type your answers. Print the pages when you finish so the sublessor and the subtenant can sign.
General information, not legal or tax advice.
