Paying for desks nobody sits at?
After payroll, rent is the largest fixed cost most companies carry. Space you no longer use is the part of that cost you can still do something about.
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Sub-rental space calculator
Rent you’ll pay on the unused space Estimate
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For illustration only. This multiplies the numbers you enter (square feet × monthly rent per square foot × months left); it is not a quote or appraisal. What a subtenant would pay depends on the space, its condition and furniture, the time left on your lease, market demand and your landlord’s consent, and you stay responsible for your full rent under your lease.
How companies end up with extra space.
A floor sized for last year’s headcount looks different after layoffs, a move to hybrid work or an acquisition. The lease does not change with it. You keep paying for every square foot until the term runs out, which can be years away.
A sublease puts that space back to work.
- A subtenant pays you rent for the space you give up. That money offsets what you pay the landlord.
- Your master lease stays as it is. You keep your rights under it, and your obligations.
- You choose who moves in. You agree the space, the term and the rent with them, subject to your landlord’s consent.
Written for the CFO, office manager or founder who has been asked to fix the rent line.
How a sublease works.
- 1
Check your lease
Find the clause on subletting. It tells you whether the landlord has to consent, what they can ask to see, and any conditions they attached.
- 2
Define the space and the term
Decide which rooms or how much floor you can give up, whether the furniture stays, and for how long. The sublease has to end on or before the date your own lease does.
- 3
Find and vet the subtenant
Meet the company that wants the space. Check that they can pay. Agree the rent, the deposit, and who covers utilities, parking and repairs.
- 4
Get consent and sign
Send the landlord the proposed subtenant and the draft sublease. Once you have written consent, sign the sublease and hand over the keys.
What to have ready.
- Your lease, open at the clause on subletting: whether the landlord has to consent, what they can ask to see, and any conditions they attached.
- Which rooms or how much floor you can give up.
- Whether the furniture stays.
- How long you want to sublease for. The sublease has to end on or before the date your own lease does.
- Your position on the rent, the deposit, and who covers utilities, parking and repairs.
Tell us what you need.
Pick your side and give us a few details. A licensed broker replies personally by email or phone. Inquiries are free and there is no obligation.
Questions.
Do I need my landlord’s permission to sublease?
Usually, yes. Most commercial leases require the landlord’s consent before you sublease. In California, if your lease requires consent but does not say what standard the landlord has to apply, the law reads in a rule that consent may not be unreasonably withheld (Civil Code section 1995.260). Your lease may set its own standard or conditions. Check your own lease carefully and get legal advice before you rely on this.
Am I still responsible for my lease if I sublease?
Yes. The master lease stays in force. You remain responsible to the landlord for the rent and every other obligation in it, even if your subtenant stops paying you. The sublease is a separate agreement between you and the subtenant.