Breaking a GPG / Mautner-Glick Lease: Assignment or Sublet?

Step 1 · Permission

Email leasing before you advertise the apartment.

Contact leasing@gpg.management or call 212-288-1999. Include the building, apartment, leaseholders, lease end date, and preferred move date.

If only one roommate is leaving, name the departing and remaining tenants. If you intend to return, request a sublet instead. Follow the formal notice method required by your lease.

Step 2 · Written terms

Get the incoming offer and your release terms in writing.

• Rent and term: the approved price, start date, and remaining or new lease period.
• Application: qualification criteria, documents, and submission link.
• Costs: any assignment charge, screening, final rent, and security.
• Your release: who leaves the lease, the effective date, and any guarantor release.

GPG publishes a roommate-change package. Ask leasing which documents apply when the entire household is leaving rather than assuming a partial roommate switch covers the same transaction.

Assignment or sublet?

Use an assignment for a permanent departure and a sublet when you plan to return.

Assignment and subletting follow different New York consent rules. An approved temporary sublet generally leaves you responsible for rent and lease compliance.

Step 3 · Qualification

GPG publishes 40× for leaseholders and 80× for guarantors.

The regular-rental requirements list 40 times monthly rent in combined leaseholder income and 80 times rent in combined guarantor income. Confirm the criteria for the assignment before screening candidates.

Ask leasing how it evaluates the proposed household, accepted income sources, credit, and guarantor coverage. If a standard document does not fit the applicant’s circumstances, request the permitted alternative.

Step 4 · Application

Prepare the checklist and use the link issued by leasing.

GPG’s published checklist calls for:

• A completed application for each applicant and guarantor.
• Photo ID and current bank statements.
• Two consecutive paystubs or other income evidence.
• Two federal tax returns for self-employed or primarily commission-paid applicants.
• Two recent federal tax returns for guarantors.

Ask leasing for the correct On-Site link and apartment selection. Submit records directly through the approved channel and ask when the file is complete.

For a roommate change, the packet also calls for a cover page, updated employment information for remaining tenants, and a departing tenant’s deposit document. Resolve that deposit agreement before signing it.

Step 5 · Find the replacement

Market the approved rent, dates, and apartment condition.

Get permission to advertise, then prepare the listing around management’s written offer. Arrange occupied showings and use clear photos of the apartment candidates will receive.

• Term: give the exact dates and confirm any renewal language.
• Household: identify who will sign, occupy, or guarantee.
• Condition: explain repairs, cleaning, furniture, and what must be removed.
• Incentives: document any outgoing payment separately from the rent.

Do not promise approval or possession before leasing confirms the required documents, payments, and start date.

Fees and security

Settle the deposit and the lease release as separate parts of the deal.

GPG’s regular application checklist lists $20 per applicant or guarantor. Ask leasing for any assignment charge, the final rent date, and outgoing and incoming security instructions.

The roommate packet includes a deposit waiver and describes household members settling the departing tenant’s share while funds remain in escrow. Before signing, get the amount, payer, payment date, and conditions in writing, alongside the separate lease release.

New York’s covered security-deposit protections limit deposits and advances and cannot be waived contrary to the statute. Older extra-security wording is not authority to bypass those protections. Get advice on a disputed waiver or payment demand.

• Final rent: agree on your last day and any mid-month proration.
• Deposit settlement: keep receipts and explain what happens if the change does not complete.
• Brokerage: agree on the marketing work and fee 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.

Approval and handoff

Finish the release documents before handing over keys.

Complete applicant review, signatures, required payments, and any deposit settlement before the agreed handoff. Ask leasing to confirm that the conditions are met.

• Check the documents for every departing tenant and guarantor.
• Photograph the condition and record furniture, repairs, and removal arrangements.
• Arrange moving access, keys, utilities, and the possession date.
• Provide a forwarding address and keep the final ledger and security records.

An incoming approval or deposit payment does not by itself finish your exit. Keep the signed agreement showing when your obligations end.

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.