Subleasing is when the original tenant of a rental property wants to give someone else (a subtenant) the right to share or move into the space. The original tenant becomes a sublandlord and often collects rent from the subtenant to pay the original landlord.
Although the tenant signs a new Sublease Agreement, the original tenant is still responsible for upholding the terms of the original lease agreement. As such, the terms of the Sublease Agreement must not exceed the terms outlined in the master lease. For example, the duration of the sublease cannot be longer than the duration of the master lease.
There are many reasons why a tenant may need to transfer their rights under a lease agreement to someone else. In some cases, tenants rent out a room in their apartment to collect more money for rent. Alternately, some tenants must travel for work or school and need someone to take care of the rental property and payments until they return.
In either case, subleasing is a way for landlords to continuously receive income from a rental property without terminating an original lease agreement or looking for a new tenant.