Breaking a Marin Management Lease: Assignment or Sublet?

Step 1 · Permission

Ask the property manager to coordinate the application and outgoing agreement.

Use your current building representative. For routing, Marin’s office lists 212-213-0123 and info@marin-mgmt.com. Include the apartment, leaseholders, lease end, and desired departure.

Say whether everyone leaves, one roommate changes, or you intend to return. Follow your lease’s notice method. Ask who handles consent, incoming review, the outgoing documents, and the final account.

Step 2 · Written terms

Get the offer and tenant and guarantor release terms together.

• Rent and dates: approved price, remaining term or new lease, concessions, charges, and start conditions.
• Application: current criteria, checklist, submission link, and review contact.
• Approvals: owner consent and any separate building or program decision.
• Release: costs, security, effective date, and treatment of each departing tenant and guarantor.

Have the actual lease and guaranty available when discussing continuing obligations. Ask which document will address the old guarantee and who can sign it for the owner.

Assignment or sublet?

Choose the route and check whether the old guarantee continues.

The public Marin guaranty reference includes language continuing after a sublet or assignment. Read the version actually signed and request express release terms for the old guarantor. Seek legal advice if the language or remaining obligations are disputed.

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 incoming requirements separately from the old household’s release.

Ask leasing for the income, credit, household, and guarantor criteria for the unit. Confirm accepted records and lawful alternatives, whether household income can be combined, and any housing-program requirements.

Check the candidate’s dates, intended term, occupants, pets, guarantor needs, and document readiness. If a new guarantor is proposed, ask how their approval coordinates with the outgoing guarantee. Get the old guarantor’s treatment stated in the signed agreement.

Step 4 · Application

Use the current package and coordinate the right departments.

Marin’s directory lists management, leasing, lease administration, and accounting separately. Ask your property contact who coordinates the file and who should receive application questions, release documents, and account questions.

• Match the unit, approved rent, term, proposed start, and all household roles.
• Get the current document checklist, accepted alternatives, and secure submission route.
• Have candidates submit sensitive records directly to the authorized team.
• Confirm missing items, completeness, decisions, and remaining signing and payment steps.

Use current screening instructions. NYC Fair Chance Housing rules require covered providers to assess general eligibility and make a conditional offer before permitted criminal-history checks. New York law prohibits refusal because an applicant was involved in a past or pending landlord-tenant case.

Step 5 · Find the replacement

Advertise the approved terms and actual apartment condition.

Get permission to list and show the unit. Use the approved rent, term, concessions, recurring charges, applicant requirements, and conditional start. Identify any required building or program review that affects the move.

• Photos: show the actual unit and condition.
• Access: agree on showing notice, hours, attendance, and keys.
• Preparation: settle clearing, cleaning, repairs, and furniture staying.
• Incentives: document any outgoing payment separately from owner rent.

Keep possession conditional on approvals, signatures, payments, and readiness. Coordinate showings with building staff while keeping owner consent and release with the authorized tenancy team.

Fees and security

Request an itemized exit proposal and final-account instructions.

Ask what each proposed amount covers, who receives it, when it is due, and what happens if the candidate withdraws or the incoming start changes. Compare the complete replacement cost with any written early-termination offer.

• Final rent: the last day charged and any agreed proration.
• Security: outgoing refund or credit, incoming deposit, and deductions.
• Account: outstanding charges, 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 lawful payment instructions before paying.

Approval and handoff

Keep the lease, guaranty, and release together at closeout.

Coordinate the candidate decision, required approvals, signatures, payments, and possession. Ask management to confirm that the conditions for the tenant and guarantor releases have been met.

• Check the executed documents for each departing tenant and guarantor and any surviving obligations.
• Photograph the condition and finish agreed clearing or repairs.
• Arrange move access, keys, fobs, and utilities.
• Provide forwarding details and keep the final ledger and security accounting.

Retain the signed agreements and completion confirmation. If the candidate or dates change, update the documents and move plan before possession changes.

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.