Sublease agreement – what to look out for?

In today’s fast-paced world, subleases are becoming more and more common. There are plenty of reasons that lead to subletting: a long stay abroad is planned, your income is not enough to pay off the loan for the apartment or you simply decide to share your apartment.

But what should you pay attention to when subletting? What’s the best way to handle it?

Boxie24 has listed all the important tips and tricks on subletting for you, so nothing can happen to you here.

What should I do with my belongings when subletting?

This is the question many people ask themselves who sublet their living space for various reasons. On the one hand, you don’t want anyone else snooping on your property or even damaging anything, and on the other, you want to give the subtenant as much space as possible for himself, his belongings and his life. What do you do with your household items while doing a semester abroad 16,000 km away in Sydney or even working as an au pair in the United States for a whole year? Boxie24 has the solution for anyone subletting their room, flat or even an entire house: store your belongings at Boxie24.

Boxie24 has self storage locations in almost all Dutch cities and also offers convenient service for everything related to the storage itself. So you don’t have to worry about transportation to the warehouse, because the Boxie24 team will collect your stored items from your home, store them and when you come back and the sublet has ended, we will bring your items back to you in a very convenient way. Furniture storage is no problem for our hard-working staff either. You don’t have to worry about anything and you can easily get everything back when the subletting period is over. With boxie24, you have convenient and economical storage space at your disposal.

Different types of subtenancy

A subtenant uses individual rooms or parts of a flat or the entire flat rented by a third person. Unlike the main tenant – who has concluded a classic rental agreement with the landlord – the subtenant is not a contract partner of the flat owner. A classic example is a shared flat in which one person has rented a flat, lives in one or more rooms and sublets the remaining rooms to other occupants. However, a subtenant also exists when the main tenant has rented the flat to a third party due to long-term absence. A sublease must be approved by the flat owner. However, he can refuse only if the flat is overcrowded or if there are special reasons against the person of the subtenant.

The sublease contract represents a second-level lease: either part of a property is leased to a third party, or the whole property.

Not every housemate is a subtenant

There are exceptions – as everywhere – for example, close relatives such as spouse and children, parents or stepchildren. Nor are domestic workers such as au pairs or staff housed in the flat or home for home care or healthcare subtenants.

Then there is a group of people who can live in your flat for up to 8 weeks and only need to consult with your landlord if the 8 weeks is exceeded: these include family members such as siblings, adult children, grandchildren, in-laws and friends.

The right partner for subletting: Boxie24

Boxie24 offers many advantages if you are leaving the city or country for a certain period of time. If you don’t want to leave your flat empty to the general public and pay the rent during your absence, subletting is the best option. You rent out your flat or room – fixed-term or otherwise – and you can make use of the sublet income Continue to pay the normal rent.

Boxie24 offers you ideal storage options and services for the duration of your stay abroad:

• Flexible contracts: you are welcome to double your semester abroad and spend a whole year abroad, and you will get your belongings back earlier if you like the job as an au pair and travel home earlier. Boxie24 is known for its flexible and uncomplicated handling of customer requests.
• Delivery service: you do not have to worry about a van or any other vehicle, because we will pick up your stuff at your flat and deliver it back when you want.
• Ideal storage conditions: clean, safe and air-conditioned. This is the standard in all our warehouses!

This should be in the sublet agreement

The sublease agreement describes the rights and obligations of both parties. Not as in the normal lease between tenant and landlord, but between main and subtenant.

• Important parts of the sublease agreement:
• Names of main and subtenants
• Address of the property; for single-storey flats
• Description of the rental property: rooms that are shared and rooms that can only be used by one party; Similarly, appliances that may be used jointly or only by a specific tenant should be recorded.
• Number of keys given
• Reference to the main rental agreement: reference should be made here to the main rental agreement and the applicable house rules.
• Written consent of the landlord
• Rental period: start of the rental relationship and, in case of time limit, justification must be present
• Notice periods: Normally a period of 3 months applies, if a different one is agreed upon this must be clearly stated in writing
• Rent and utilities
• Landlord’s account details: rent is paid into this account
• Security deposit: a security deposit should be agreed. Normally this amounts to 3 months cold rent
• Rental use: careful handling of the property and the common objects should be agreed upon
• Possibly: agreement on the purchase and repair of shared household appliances: for example, if a new fridge is bought or the dishwasher breaks down, the sublease agreement should regulate how and whether the subtenant will be included in the costs.

It is also advisable to prepare a report similar to the completion report. This creates a basis of trust for the main tenants and subtenants and provides security for future completion when they move out.

If there are no specific agreements on additional costs, their additional payment or cosmetic repairs, the subtenant does not have to pay them.

Also important: income from sublease must be reported in the tax return.

Differences between a temporary and a permanent subtenancy

A fixed-term sublease agreement – also called a temporary lease – must include the start and end dates in writing. In addition, the main tenant must inform the subtenant in writing of the reason for the term. The easiest way to do this is to include the reason in the sublease agreement. In the case of temporary sublease agreements, it is usually not possible to terminate mid-term.

If there is only an effective date in the sublease agreement, this is an open-ended sublease The regular right of termination applies here: 3 months’ notice, doubled to 6 if the main tenant terminates without giving reasons. For a furnished room, a short notice is usually agreed: the main tenant can terminate the subtenant without giving reasons until the 15th of a month. At the end of this month, the subtenant must leave the room. If the former subtenant is only staying with a friend for the time being, Boxie24 is also the right point of contact for him: we store his belongings in the intermediate storage and bring them back when he has found a new flat. Self-storage is a good and cheap way to deal with moving house and staying abroad.