Breaking a Sackman Lease: Assignment or Sublet?

Step 1 · Permission

Ask the tenancy team for permission and the incoming application route.

Start with your property manager. If the candidate is to apply through Keyah, its rental office lists rentals@keyah.com and 212-595-5565, extensions 611 and 612. Ask who authorizes the exit and signs your release.

Say whether everyone leaves, one roommate changes, or you intend to return. Follow the notice method required by your lease.

Step 2 · Written terms

Set the offer and the dates before looking for a replacement.

• Offer: approved rent, remaining term or new lease, concessions, and recurring charges.
• Application: current requirements, checklist, submission link, and review contact.
• Dates: outgoing rent end, incoming lease start, possession, and any preparation interval.
• Exit: itemized costs, security, and release of departing tenants and guarantors.

Ask who pays rent during any gap and what happens if preparation or signing takes longer than planned.

Assignment or sublet?

Choose a permanent replacement or a temporary arrangement.

Assignment and subletting follow different New York consent rules. Regulated rentals, admission-restricted housing, and proprietary co-op leases may have additional rules or exclusions. Confirm the procedure for your apartment before offering either route.

Step 3 · Qualification

Ask how Keyah’s screening guidance applies to this household.

The Keyah application page lists co-signer considerations involving income, length of employment, and credit. Confirm the current assessment, accepted records, lawful alternatives, and any guarantor requirements for your unit.

Check the candidate’s move date, household, pets, co-signer needs, and document readiness before starting the file. If the apartment has an income-restricted program, ask how its eligibility and applicant-selection rules affect the proposed replacement.

Step 4 · Application

Prepare the checklist and have the candidate submit it directly.

Keyah’s published checklist calls for applications from adult occupants and records for applicants and co-signers, including:

• Signed application, agency disclosure, and Airbnb-policy forms.
• Government ID and a landlord reference.
• An employer letter issued within 30 days, showing tenure and salary.
• The previous year’s tax-return records.

Ask for current forms, accepted alternatives, and the secure submission method. Have the team confirm completeness and identify any missing verification. A policy acknowledgment or application decision does not replace owner consent and the agreement ending your tenancy.

Step 5 · Find the replacement

Market a start date that fits the actual handoff.

Get permission to list and show the apartment. Use the approved rent, term, charges, and application requirements. Ask whether management needs the unit empty for cleaning, painting, or other work before the replacement can move in.

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

Keep possession conditional on approval, signatures, required payments, and readiness. Confirm whether Keyah’s ordinary turnover schedule applies before promising a move date.

Fees and security

Settle rent during preparation and keep the deposits separate.

Request an itemized assignment or termination proposal. Ask what each charge covers, when it is due, and what happens if the candidate withdraws or possession is delayed.

• Rent: your last day charged, the new start, and any agreed proration or gap.
• Security: outgoing refund or credit, incoming deposit, and deductions.
• Services: moving costs and any permitted brokerage work agreed in writing.
• Credits: approved adjustments and the final balance.

For covered screening, New York law limits reimbursement to actual cost or $20, whichever is less, with report, receipt, and recent-report waiver requirements. Get the basis of any additional proposed charge before paying it.

Approval and handoff

Align the incoming start, possession, and outgoing release.

Coordinate approval, signatures, payments, preparation, and moving access. Have management confirm the effective dates and that the conditions for releasing you have been met.

• Check the executed agreement for each departing tenant and guarantor.
• Photograph the condition and complete agreed clearing or repairs.
• Arrange keys, fobs, building move access, and utilities.
• Provide forwarding details and retain the final ledger and security accounting.

If preparation changes the possession date, update the rent and release plan in writing. Keep the signed agreements and completion confirmation.

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.