Breaking a Townhouse Management Lease: Assignment or Sublet?

Step 1 · Permission

Ask the office for assignment terms before you advertise.

Contact info@thmny.com or 212-755-6556. Include the address, apartment, leaseholders, lease end date, and preferred move date. Follow the notice method required by your lease.

Say if only one roommate is leaving or if you intend to return. That changes the agreement and application you need.

Step 2 · Written terms

Get the replacement’s offer and your exit terms in one written reply.

• Rent and dates: the approved price, incoming start, and remaining or new term.
• Application: the qualification rules, document list, and submission link.
• Costs: any assignment charge, screening, and security payment.
• Your release: the last rent date, conditions, and treatment of your guarantor.

Ask whether advertising and showings can begin. Keep the move-out arrangements tied to the agreed release and incoming start rather than choosing those dates separately.

Assignment or sublet?

Choose the route based on whether you plan to return.

Townhouse’s handbook calls for written sublet permission. Follow the applicable New York consent procedure; an approved temporary sublet generally keeps you responsible for the lease.

Step 3 · Qualification

Check the candidate’s fit before starting the application.

Ask leasing for the income, credit, and guarantor criteria for your apartment. Confirm whether household income can be combined and which documents or lawful alternatives management accepts.

Check the candidate’s move date, household, pets, guarantor needs, and document readiness. For a roommate change, identify who stays, who leaves, and who will sign the amended lease.

Step 4 · Application

Have management send the replacement’s application package.

Ask for the link and document list issued for the approved apartment and transaction. Have the replacement send financial records directly to the designated reviewer.

• Check the apartment number, approved rent, term, and proposed start.
• Include every applicant, occupant, and guarantor.
• Complete the requested records and verification steps.
• Ask the reviewer to confirm completeness and explain what remains before signing.

The handbook also discusses renters insurance before keys are issued. Ask the office for the current policy requirements so that document is ready for the handoff.

Step 5 · Find the replacement

Use the approved rent and show the apartment’s condition clearly.

Prepare the listing around management’s rent, dates, charges, and applicant requirements. Use accurate photos and arrange showing access around the occupied apartment.

• Term: give the exact dates and confirm any renewal language.
• Condition: identify cleaning, repairs, and anything that needs removing.
• Furniture: get management’s approval before promising that items can stay.
• Incentives: document the amount, payment date, and conditions separately.

Do not promise possession before management confirms the documents and apartment will be ready.

Fees and security

Separate the lease-exit cost from the moving bill.

Ask for a written quote covering any assignment or termination charge, final rent, and security. Confirm when payments are due and what happens if the replacement does not proceed.

• Final rent: agree on your last day and any mid-month proration.
• Security: confirm the inspection, deductions, and outgoing and incoming deposits.
• Moving: get your mover’s price and the building’s insurance instructions before booking.
• 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

Book the move and submit the mover’s certificate before moving day.

The resident instructions require office scheduling and a moving-company certificate of insurance. Ask for your building’s permitted days and hours, the certificate’s named parties and coverage, and confirmation that the office has accepted it. If you plan to move yourself, ask which arrangements apply.

Complete applicant review, signatures, and required payments before the agreed possession date. Check the release for every departing tenant and guarantor.

• Photograph the apartment and finish agreed clearing or repairs.
• Coordinate keys, access devices, utilities, and the moving slot.
• Return keys with a receipt and provide your forwarding address.
• Keep the signed release, final ledger, and security accounting.

Your renters policy and the mover’s certificate serve different purposes. Have both sorted before the scheduled handoff.

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.