Half of tenant subletting occurs without consent

Landlords and managing agents should regularly check their rental properties to ensure that their tenants are not subletting without consent after new research found that almost half of tenants who sublet their property do so without their landlord’s permission. The findings from the NLA found that of the 11 per cent of tenants who say they have sublet all or part of their property before, just 5 per cent did so with their landlord’s authorisation. The NLA is now urging all landlords to insert a clause into new tenancy agreements that makes clear sub-letting is only permitted with the landlord’s consent, which should not be unreasonably withheld. “This would reduce their exposure to a whole host of unnecessary risks, including hefty fines and even a prison sentence,” said Carolyn Uphill (left), Chairman of the NLA. Some 26 per cent of tenants say they have approached their landlord about sub-letting but have had the request declined, and 63 per cent say they have never asked their landlord about subletting their property. Overall, the findings show that 32 per cent of tenants have approached their landlord about sub-letting their property, with 22 per cent of requests being permitted by the landlord. “These…