Subletting Question

[flamingjuly.livejournal.com]

Hey, so this isn't Davis Square specific, per se, aside from the fact that I live here. But I know a few of you are landlords in the area, and might know of some Somerville-specific laws, so I figured I'd ask:

What are a landlord's biggest concerns about subletting?

Every lease I've signed has had a point about no subletting. I get why landlords would not be a fan of having someone not on the lease living somewhere, but I feel like some people are able to make subletting work even if it's not allowed in their lease. My roommate wants to sublet her room, and I'm going to ask the landlord about it because it's worth a shot. I'd really like to address all his possible fears upfront. The person subletting would be taking over the lease once it's up for renewal, so I'm hoping that helps my case.

Thanks for any help!

Comments

[masswich.livejournal.com]

Some landlords screen tenants closely, to make sure they seem responsible and have decent credit. Getting rent paid regularly can make the difference in making your payments on the mortgage yourself, if you are not a large property owner. Allowing someone to sublet without checking out the subletter is risky- what if the person stops paying rent, or breaks things on purpose. Who knows?

My advice is to ask the landlord their thoughts. If the person taking over the room is willing to have a credit check, meet the landlord, and sign a new lease, at least for the time the current lease has left, that should assuage any concern.