Professionals Real Estate 
Can I transfer my lease to a new tenant?
If you’re looking to break your lease then you might be lucky enough to find somebody who wants to take it over for you – but can you simply transfer it to them?
While it’s often helpful if a tenant has somebody in mind to take over their lease when they move out, it’s worth noting that any new tenants will still need to apply for the property as would happen normally.
This means that an application form will need to be filled in, references will need to be checked and any other steps need to be carried out to make sure the new applicant is suitable.
The landlord is under no obligation to automatically accept a new tenant.
What should you do?
As soon as you decide you want to break your lease it’s worth getting in contact with your property manager to explain the situation.
They can discuss the steps that you and the person looking to take over your lease need to take.
If a new tenant is approved then it can work out well for all parties as the landlord doesn’t have to worry about the property potentially sitting vacant once the lease is up, and the current tenant won’t need to worry about continuing to pay rent.
Rules around transferring tenants do differ between states though, so for further information it’s best to find out information from your state’s rental authority, or to discuss issues directly with your property manager.
