Subletting Your Apartment During a Co-op Work Term

Sublet or assignment: pick the right one

A four-month co-op or internship placement is the textbook case for subletting rather than assigning your lease. Subletting keeps you as the tenant of record and lets you move back into the same unit once your work term ends. An assignment transfers the lease entirely to someone else and takes you off it, which only makes sense if you are not returning to that apartment at all.

Check your lease and your provincial tenancy legislation before you decide. Rules on how subletting works differ by province, and what applies in Ontario does not automatically apply in BC or Quebec. Students weighing the same sublet-versus-assignment choice for a semester abroad instead of a work term can compare notes in keeping or subletting a Canadian lease while you are on exchange.

Ask your landlord in writing, early

As soon as you have your co-op start and end dates, send your landlord a written request to sublet, naming the proposed subletter if you already have one lined up, or at minimum stating the dates you need to be away. Email works, but keep a copy and note the date you sent it.

In Ontario , consent to sublet can't be unreasonably withheld, but there is no 7-day deemed-consent rule for subletting. That rule applies only to assignment requests under section 95 of the Residential Tenancies Act, and even then the tenant's remedy is a right to terminate the lease with 30 days' notice, not automatic consent. If a landlord ignores or unreasonably refuses your sublet request, your recourse is to apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board on Form A2 for an order, not to proceed on the assumption that silence equals approval. Getting the landlord on record supporting the sublet avoids a dispute later if something goes wrong with the subletter.

What you stay responsible for

Subletting does not transfer your obligations to your subletter as far as the landlord is concerned. You remain the tenant, which means you are the one the landlord pursues if rent goes unpaid or the unit gets damaged while you are away on your placement. Your agreement with your subletter is a separate, private contract between the two of you, not something the landlord enforces directly.

Put your arrangement with the subletter in writing: rent amount and due date, what happens to your damage or rent deposit if one exists, house rules, and what happens if they need to leave your sublet early. This protects you if a dispute comes up while you are hundreds of kilometers away at your placement.

Screening your subletter

Treat this the way your own landlord treated you when you applied. Ask for a reference, proof of income or a co-op offer letter showing they have income for the term, and a conversation about how they plan to handle rent, utilities and any shared costs. A subletter who cannot show reliable income is a bigger risk to you than to your landlord, since you remain the one legally on the hook.

Where to find a subletter

Campus off-campus housing offices are a strong first stop. Schools with large co-op populations, like the University of Waterloo, run dedicated off-campus housing resources through their student union that regularly list co-op-length sublets, since so many students on campus cycle through the same four-month gap every term. Simon Fraser University's three-intake co-op system creates the same steady churn of sublets on its own campus. Your program's co-op or career services office, and Facebook groups for your specific school and program year, are worth checking too.

Utilities, mail and your deposit

Decide upfront whether utility accounts stay in your name during the sublet or transfer temporarily, and set a plan for mail and packages if you are not around to collect them. Your rent deposit, where one exists, stays tied to the original lease, and your subletter's payments to you do not change your landlord's records of who owes what.

Coming back at the end of your term

Confirm the move-out date with your subletter well before your placement ends, and do a walkthrough together if you are able to, the same way you would with a landlord. Resolving any damage directly with your subletter before your landlord notices protects both your relationship with your landlord and your original deposit.

Insurance while you are away

Tenant insurance policies often exclude damage caused by someone other than the named tenant, so tell your insurer you are subletting before your placement starts and ask how the policy applies while a subletter is in the unit. Ask your subletter to carry their own contents insurance for their own belongings, since your policy generally does not cover what they own.

If your landlord refuses consent

A landlord cannot refuse a sublet request for an arbitrary reason, such as simply preferring you stay in the unit yourself. If your landlord refuses in writing, ask for the specific reason, and check whether it holds up against your provincial tenancy legislation. In Ontario, an unreasonable refusal is something the LTB can review through a tenant application, though most disputes get resolved once a landlord sees a complete request with a screened subletter attached.

Rent increases while you are away

Subletting does not change your original lease terms. If your lease is up for renewal or a legal rent increase takes effect while you are on placement, that applies to you as the tenant of record regardless of who is living in the unit that month. Build any expected rent change into what you charge your subletter so you are not covering a gap out of pocket.