Breaking an A.J. Clarke Lease: Assignment or Sublet?

Step 1 · Permission

Tell your property manager the date you want to leave early.

Use your current building contact. For routing, A.J. Clarke’s management office lists 212-541-4477. Include the apartment, leaseholders, lease end, and desired departure.

Say whether everyone leaves, one roommate changes, or you intend to return. Follow the notice method in your lease. The resident FAQ covers routine nonrenewal separately; make the remaining months and requested early end clear.

Step 2 · Written terms

Get the approved offer and outgoing release together.

• Rent and dates: approved price, remaining term or new lease, concessions, charges, and start conditions.
• Application: current criteria, applicant and guarantor lists, submission link, and review contact.
• Costs: itemized charges, final rent, security, credits, and refund conditions.
• Release: when each departing tenant’s and guarantor’s obligations end.

If the apartment is in a co-op or condo, ask what separate building review applies and who coordinates it with your landlord’s consent.

Assignment or sublet?

Choose the route for a permanent move or temporary absence.

Assignment and subletting follow different New York consent rules. Proprietary co-op leases are excluded from that statute’s general framework; regulated and admission-restricted rentals may have additional rules. Confirm what applies to your documents.

Step 3 · Qualification

Check the requirements before choosing a household.

Ask leasing for the income, credit, household, and guarantor criteria for your unit. Confirm whether household income can be combined, which records or lawful alternatives are accepted, and whether a housing program adds eligibility requirements.

Check the candidate’s move date, intended term, occupants, pets, guarantor needs, and document readiness. Have the authorized team assess alternatives rather than promising approval based on another landlord’s income multiple.

Step 4 · Application

Prepare applicants and guarantors from their separate checklists.

A.J. Clarke’s published rental checklist separates the two files. Get the current version and accepted alternatives for this apartment.

• Applicants: signed application, government ID, employer letter or self-employed accountant letter, two recent pay stubs, and summaries of two recent bank statements.
• Guarantors: signed application, two recent tax returns’ first and last pages, latest summaries for all bank accounts, photo ID, and an employer letter or two recent pay stubs.

Have candidates submit records directly through the designated channel. The services page describes property-manager and principal review, followed by digital lease preparation. Ask what is missing and which decisions, signatures, and payments remain before possession.

Step 5 · Find the replacement

Market the approved terms and coordinate occupied access.

Get permission to list and show the unit. State the approved rent, term, concessions, recurring charges, application requirements, and conditional start. Keep any outgoing incentive separate from the owner’s rent.

• Photos: show the actual apartment and condition.
• Showings: agree on notice, hours, attendance, and keys.
• Preparation: settle cleaning, repairs, clearing, and furniture staying.
• Changes: get approval before revising price or dates.

Coordinate access with building staff while keeping consent and release with the authorized tenancy team. A superintendent’s showing arrangement does not itself approve the transfer.

Fees and security

Get the complete exit cost alongside the screening charge.

Ask for an itemized assignment or termination proposal. Confirm what each amount covers, who receives it, when it is due, and what happens if the candidate withdraws or signing is delayed.

• Final rent: the last day charged and any agreed proration.
• Security: outgoing refund or credit, incoming deposit, and deductions.
• Account: approved credits and the final balance.
• Services: moving costs and permitted brokerage work agreed in writing.

For covered screening, New York law limits reimbursement to actual cost or $20, whichever is less, with report, receipt, and recent-report waiver requirements. Confirm current payment instructions before paying.

Approval and handoff

Finish the early-release agreement and the physical move.

Coordinate candidate review, signatures, required payments, readiness, and possession. Ask management to confirm that the conditions for releasing you have been met.

• Check the executed agreement for every departing tenant and guarantor.
• Clear belongings, clean, and photograph the apartment’s condition.
• Arrange move access, keys, fobs, and utilities with the appropriate team.
• Provide forwarding details and retain the final ledger and security accounting.

The resident FAQ calls for forwarding details, clearing and cleaning, and key-return coordination at ordinary move-out. For your early exit, align those tasks with the agreed release date and keep the signed documents.

Find a replacement renter

I can help turn management’s terms into a listing and a qualified applicant.

I prepare the listing, manage inquiries and showings, screen prospective renters, and help the selected applicant complete management’s requirements. Management makes the approval decision. My role and broker fee are agreed in writing before marketing starts.

Send the address, rent, lease end date, preferred move date, and management’s reply.

Discuss my lease

For the broader legal options, see the NYC lease-break guide.