Breaking a Goldfarb Properties Lease: Assignment or Sublet?

Step 1 · Permission

Reach the Goldfarb team responsible for your NYC unit.

Start with your current resident contact or the regional contact page: Manhattan at 212-262-1675, Bronx at 718-713-1091, or Rockaway at 718-471-7800. Ask who handles tenancy changes and owner consent for your building.

Say whether everyone is leaving, one roommate is changing, or the absence is temporary. Match the notice recipient to your lease and follow its formal delivery requirements separately.

Step 2 · Written terms

Ask for the replacement offer and your release conditions.

• Rent and dates: approved rent, start date, remaining or new term, and any concession.
• Application: the appropriate review route, current checklist, and link tied to your apartment.
• Costs: an itemized quote, who pays each charge, and separate security instructions.
• Release: the agreement, signatures, funds, and effective date ending your obligations.

If management asks you to find someone first, confirm the terms you may advertise and who will handle that candidate. For a roommate change, specify who remains liable and who needs a release.

Step 3 · Choose the route

Confirm whether the incoming renter takes your term or starts a new one.

Make the proposed term clear before arranging showings. Ask how a delayed start affects your final rent and whether a new lease changes the price or concession.

New York Real Property Law § 226-b generally requires written owner consent for assignment. Covered apartments in buildings with four or more residential units have a separate sublet process. Regulated and special-program apartments can have additional rules; an informal inquiry does not complete the applicable consent procedure.

Step 4 · Applicant requirements

Use the correct financial review for the household.

The published application policy separates voucher and non-voucher applicants. Ask leasing which requirements apply to this transaction.

The policy calculates net income after reviewed debt service and expenses and allows further review of savings, assets, or a qualified guarantor when the ratio exceeds 40%. Ask the reviewer which records are needed; do not decide eligibility from one multiplier.

Step 5 · Apply

Get the invitation for your unit and keep the file complete.

Have leasing send the current application route and checklist for the approved offer. The policy’s income evidence includes four recent paystubs, a W-2 or 1099, and three recent bank statements.

• Match the unit, rent, start date, and term to the written offer.
• Confirm who applies, occupies, and guarantees, including any remaining tenants.
• Use the designated channel for sensitive documents and monitor the applicant’s email.
• Ask for confirmation of completeness, the decision contact, and the next signing step.

The published process permits cancellation if missing documents remain outstanding 10 days after the first request. Prepare the records before submitting, and ask promptly if the applicant needs an alternative document or assistance.

If a broker is helping, ask what written authorization management needs to discuss the application with them.

Step 6 · Find the replacement

Advertise the apartment and terms management has approved.

Once authorized, use current photos, the actual layout, approved rent, available date, and lease length. State whether furniture is included, whether it is a whole-unit transfer or roommate change, and which recurring charges apply.

Arrange showing access with the household and building. Confirm any renewal offer or concession for this transaction before including it. Put any incentive you fund in writing and keep it separate from rent due to the owner.

Do not send a prospect into an unrelated vacancy application. Confirm that leasing is reviewing the person for your approved offer and explain what must happen next before your tenancy can end.

Step 7 · Money

Request the full exit quote before committing funds.

Ask for final rent through the agreed date, any proposed transfer or surrender charge, concession treatment, move expenses, and deposit accounting. Confirm whether the quote changes if the replacement’s start date moves. Ask what each charge covers and where it is authorized.

For covered applications, § 238-a caps background and credit checks at actual cost or $20, whichever is less. It requires a report copy and receipt or invoice, with a waiver for a qualifying report from the past 30 days.

Keep the incoming renter’s first rent, security, and any guaranty premium separate from your exit budget. Get instructions for your deposit rather than assuming it transfers or pays final rent. Agree separately on any brokerage service you hire.

Step 8 · Finish the transfer

Link the incoming agreement to your signed release.

Read the final documents together: apartment, names, dates, departing guarantors, balances, and possession conditions should align. Confirm the required signatures and funds are complete before handing over keys.

Arrange move reservations, mover insurance, elevator access, inspection, and key or fob return. Photograph the apartment, align utility and service cutoff dates, provide a forwarding address, and retain the signed agreement and final account statement.

Track permission, application, review, signing, funds, and possession separately. If the approved renter does not sign or the move slips, get revised rent and release terms before relying on the original date.

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.