Keeping or Subletting a Canadian Lease While You Are on Exchange
By Muntasir • Published May 03, 2026 • Updated Sep 20, 2026 • Study Abroad, Canadian Universities & Colleges
You have three ways to handle your home lease while on exchange: keep paying it, sublet with your landlord's written consent, or assign it and end your obligation. Consent rules and response windows differ by province, so check yours before you sign anything.
🏠 Ontario: for an assignment, your landlord must respond within 7 days or you may end the tenancy on notice. For a sublet, your landlord must not unreasonably or arbitrarily refuse consent, but the Act sets no fixed response deadline, so follow up in writing if you hear nothing.
🏠 British Columbia: with 6 months or more left on a fixed term, your landlord cannot unreasonably refuse consent.
🏠 Quebec: send written notice and your landlord has 15 days to respond, or the request counts as accepted.
📩 A landlord cannot charge you a fee just to consider the request, only real costs like a credit check.
⏱️ Book storage or confirm a lease break 6-8 weeks before you leave to avoid paying double rent.
Decide which option fits your exchange term
Before you contact your landlord, know what you are asking for. Each option carries different risk and paperwork, and provinces treat them differently.
Keep paying and leave it empty. Simplest option. You stay fully liable and nobody else touches the unit, but you pay rent on a home you are not using.
Sublet. Someone else lives there and pays you for the term. You stay on the lease and remain responsible to the landlord if the subtenant does not pay or damages the unit.
Assign the lease. You transfer your tenancy to a new tenant who takes over fully. Your obligation ends once the assignment is approved.
End the tenancy. Works only if your exchange term lines up with your lease end date or your landlord agrees to an early termination.
Subletting suits a single term abroad since you keep your spot for when you return. Assignment suits a full year away if you do not plan to return to the same unit.
Ontario: assignment has a 7-day clock, sublet does not
Under the Residential Tenancies Act, you need your landlord's written consent to sublet or assign in Ontario. Your landlord needs a valid reason to refuse, such as the proposed subtenant's poor credit or insufficient income, not simply a dislike of the idea. For an assignment, your landlord must respond within 7 days or you may end the tenancy on notice. For a sublet, the Act requires your landlord not to unreasonably or arbitrarily refuse consent, but it sets no fixed response deadline, so follow up in writing if you hear nothing back.
Your landlord cannot charge you a fee just to consider or approve the request. Real out-of-pocket costs, such as a credit check on your subtenant, are the exception. On an assignment, a refusal without a valid reason, or a missed 7-day window, gives you grounds to end your tenancy early with notice. Full detail sits in the Landlord and Tenant Board's interpretation guideline on tenancies .
British Columbia: the 6-month cutoff decides your leverage
In British Columbia you also need written landlord permission for a sublet or assignment. Your leverage depends on how much term is left. With 6 months or more remaining on a fixed-term lease, your landlord must not unreasonably withhold consent. With less than 6 months left, or on a month-to-month tenancy, your landlord refuses without needing to give a reason.
Your landlord cannot charge you anything to consider or investigate the request. If a refusal looks unreasonable and you qualify under the 6-month rule, apply for dispute resolution through the Residential Tenancy Branch .
Quebec: written notice starts a 15-day clock
Quebec lets you sublet all or part of your unit, or assign your lease, by sending your landlord written notice that names the proposed subtenant or assignee and states the effective date. Your landlord then has 15 days to respond. No response within that window counts as acceptance, and a refusal needs a serious reason.
On an assignment you cannot charge the new tenant a premium, selling your lease for profit is not allowed. On a sublet you cannot charge more than your own rent, except for reasonable extras such as furniture you leave behind. The Tribunal administratif du logement handles disputes and holds the official notice templates.
Compare the three provinces
| Province | Consent needed | Landlord response window | Refusal standard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | Written, for sublet or assignment | 7 days (assignment only); no fixed deadline for sublet | Needs a valid reason |
| British Columbia | Written, for sublet or assignment | No fixed deadline in the Act | Cannot be unreasonable, only if 6+ months remain |
| Quebec | Written notice, not a request for permission | 15 days, then deemed accepted | Needs a serious reason |
What to check before you sign a sublet agreement
Put the rent amount, payment method, dates and who covers utilities in writing, signed by both of you.
Photograph the unit's condition and note existing damage before your subtenant moves in.
Decide who collects rent. If you stay the collector, a late payment from your subtenant becomes your problem with the landlord.
Tell your subtenant in writing that the arrangement is temporary and name the date you return.
Check whether your tenant insurance covers a sublet arrangement, or add a rider for the term.
Storage while you're away
If you assign your lease or give it up, you need somewhere for your things. Many Canadian campuses run summer storage programs for students, book these before exams end since spots fill fast. Off-campus self-storage units cost less per month the earlier you reserve one, and a moving company packs and stores larger items if you have no car.
If you sublet, ask your subtenant directly whether they need closet or storage space freed up. Settle this before you sign, not after they move in.
If you share the lease with roommates
A shared lease usually names every roommate as a tenant, which means your subtenant or assignment plan needs their agreement too, not only your landlord's. Talk to your roommates before you approach the landlord, a roommate who objects can complicate or block a request even where the landlord would approve it. Put any agreement between you and your roommates about rent splitting, house rules for the subtenant, and shared spaces in writing alongside the landlord-facing paperwork.
Improve your odds with the landlord
A landlord weighs risk when reviewing your request, so reduce it on paper. Offer a subtenant with a stable income and a reference from a previous landlord, propose that rent keeps flowing through your own account so nothing changes from the landlord's side, and give more notice than the legal minimum where you can. A complete package, subtenant application, references, and a clear timeline, moves faster than a bare request and a name.