Subleasing your apartment can be full of stress and worry because you are giving your house keys to a stranger. By following the best practices listed below, summarized in 4 easy steps, you can mitigate the risk of ending up in a very bad situation. The most important takeaway is not to forget that you are allowing a stranger into your home, so you need to go through a thorough screening process of your potential sub-landlord.

1. Get the landlord’s approval for the sublease.

You should take a look at your lease to see if it prohibits subletting. However, even if you do, it’s worth talking to your landlord to see if he or she is willing to sublease under your particular circumstances. This step is often overlooked by arrogant tenants, but it’s really worth it because (1) it saves you from having to make plans with your subtenant to keep the landlord from noticing; (2) you put your lease and apartment in the hands of your subtenant, most likely a stranger you have no reason to trust. That gives them tremendous bargaining power later on because the tenant can use their knowledge that he is breaking the terms of his lease to extort money from you. Even if the landlord inadvertently finds out about the sublease, he could kick you out of the apartment for breaking the terms of the lease, and that is possibly the most catastrophic consequence of a sublease: losing your home.

2. Advertise your apartment widely, but starting with those closest to you.

Ideally, you won’t sublet your apartment to a stranger at all. You should start with friends and friends of friends to explore the possibility of subletting your place to someone you have some reason to trust. Their pre-existing relationship with you means they are more likely to treat you and your place with respect.

For example, as a law student in Michigan, if I couldn’t find a friend who needed to sublet, I’d ask around to see if someone they knew needed to sublet. If that failed, she would send an email to the law school mailing list. Finding a law student to sublease probably meant the sublease would be financially responsible and probably have a reputation to uphold at the school, which meant he wouldn’t trash the place.

Ultimately, Craigslist is your last option, but it’s not a bad one. I have found numerous subtenants off of Craigslist and many of them have turned out to be good people. However, if you take someone off Craigslist, step 3 becomes an especially important tip. Note that you can start the formal screening process described in step 3 by including a link to a Leasely rental application in your Craigslist ad.

3. Conduct a formal sublessee assessment

A formal projection of the sublease is essential. If the sublessor doesn’t pay the rent, he could lose his house, so it’s vital to make sure the sublessor’s credit is up to scratch. Even if the sub-landlord pays rent up front, it’s important to know if your sub-landlord has a criminal or eviction record because that indicates the level of respect your tenant might treat your home with while you’re gone. When you sublet your apartment, you are putting your reputation in the hands of your sub-landlord, so it is of the utmost importance that he/she can handle that level of responsibility.

Putting a formal screening process in place means running a credit, criminal, and eviction check on your tenant, including gathering reference information and employment information. Even if it’s not worth your time to check references up front, it’s important to have that information in case your tenant defaults later. References can be used to locate the tenant.

Leasely makes this process easy, as you can simply take our standard application form and use it to collect information and run your background check. The only thing left is to meet the subtenant in person to show them around and see if they are a good fit.

4. Negotiate a sublease agreement and make logistical arrangements

Once you’ve determined that the sublease passes the test, it’s time to boil down what you’ve discussed as the terms of your agreement into a formal document. Draft a document detailing the rental, duration, check-in and check-out dates, whether it will be paid directly to the landlord or paid to you, and any other terms you’ve discussed. Consider requesting a security deposit to cover any damage or unpaid rent that you would return at the end of the lease.

Finally, make logistical arrangements for the subtenant to move. Give the tenant a copy of the key, show them where the garbage, laundry, and mail are located, and let them know anything else that is necessary to ensure a comfortable stay. Make sure your contact information is available to the tenant so they can be contacted if necessary. On your departure and return, phone your subtenant to confirm your arrival and departure.

These tips will help you mitigate the risks associated with subletting. Go and sublet with confidence!