Cal. Civ. Code § 10-A
Right to sublease
Operative Text
§ 10-a. Right to sublease. Units subject to this law may be sublet pursuant to section two hundred twenty-six-b of the real property law provided that (a) the rental charged to the subtenant does not exceed the legal regulated rent plus a ten percent surcharge payable to the tenant if the unit sublet was furnished with the tenant's furniture; (b) the tenant can establish that at all times he has maintained the unit as his primary residence and intends to occupy it as such at the expiration of the sublease; (c) an owner may terminate the tenancy of a tenant who sublets or assigns contrary to the terms of this section but no action or proceeding based on the non-primary residence of a tenant may be commenced prior to the expiration date of his lease; (d) where an apartment is sublet the prime tenant shall retain the right to a renewal lease and the rights and status of a tenant in occupancy as they relate to conversion to condominium or cooperative ownership; (e) where a tenant violates the provisions of subdivision (a) of this section the subtenant shall be entitled to damages of three times the overcharge and may also be awarded attorneys fees and interest from the date of the overcharge at the rate of interest payable on a judgment pursuant to section five thousand four of the civil practice law and rules; (f) the tenant may not sublet the unit for more than a total of two years, including the term of the proposed sublease, out of the four-year period preceding the termination date of the proposed sublease. The provisions of this subdivision (f) shall only apply to subleases commencing on and after July first, nineteen hundred eighty-three; (g) for the purposes of this section only, the term of the proposed sublease may extend beyond the term of the tenant's lease. In such event, such sublease shall be subject to the tenant's right to a renewal lease. The subtenant shall have no right to a renewal lease. It shall be unreasonable for an owner to refuse to consent to a sublease solely because such sublease extends beyond the tenant's lease; and (h) notwithstanding the provisions of section two hundred twenty-six-b of the real property law, a not-for-profit hospital shall have the right to sublet any housing accommodation leased by it to its affiliated personnel without requiring the landlord's consent to any such sublease and without being bound by the provisions of subdivisions (b), (c) and (f) of this section. Commencing with the effective date of this subdivision, whenever a not-for-profit hospital executes a renewal lease for a housing accommodation, the legal regulated rent shall be increased by a sum equal to fifteen percent of the previous lease rental for such housing accommodation, hereinafter referred to as a vacancy surcharge, unless the landlord shall have received within the seven year period prior to the commencement date of such renewal lease any vacancy increases or vacancy surcharges allocable to the said housing accommodation. In the event the landlord shall have received any such vacancy increases or vacancy surcharges during such seven year period, the vacancy surcharge shall be reduced by the amount received by any such vacancy increase or vacancy surcharges.
Section 10-A of New York's Emergency Tenant Protection Act establishes the conditions under which tenants in covered units may sublet their apartments. The rule caps what a subtenant can be charged at the legal regulated rent, with a limited ten-percent premium allowed only when the unit is furnished with the tenant's own furniture. It also sets a two-year subletting ceiling within any four-year window, requires the prime tenant to maintain the unit as a primary residence throughout, and imposes treble damages plus potential attorneys' fees and interest on tenants who overcharge their subtenants. Special rules apply to not-for-profit hospitals that lease units for affiliated personnel, exempting them from certain consent and residency requirements while subjecting renewal leases to a vacancy surcharge mechanism.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under N.Y. Unconsol. Law (ETPA) § 10-A, property owners and managers should be aware that a tenant's right to sublet is governed by specific statutory conditions, not solely by the lease agreement. A compliant operator generally tracks whether a subletting tenant has maintained primary residency, monitors the two-years-in-four-years subletting limit, and verifies that any rent charged to a subtenant does not exceed the legal regulated rent (plus the allowable furniture surcharge where applicable). Owners retain the right to terminate a tenancy when a tenant sublets or assigns in violation of § 10-A's terms, though no non-primary-residence proceeding may be initiated before the tenant's lease expiration date. Operators dealing with not-for-profit hospital tenants should also note the distinct vacancy surcharge rules that apply upon renewal under this section.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 10-A of the ETPA gives tenants in covered units a qualified right to sublet, provided they meet conditions such as maintaining the apartment as their primary residence and keeping subletting time within the two-years-in-four-years limit. Tenants who are subtenants and believe they have been overcharged beyond the legal regulated rent (or the permitted furniture surcharge) may be entitled under § 10-A to damages of three times the overcharge, along with possible attorneys' fees and interest. Prime tenants who sublet also retain the right to a renewal lease and protections related to condo or co-op conversion, regardless of the sublease. Tenants seeking to understand how these rights apply to their situation may find it useful to consult a tenant-rights organization or review guidance published by a local rent board.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated September 13, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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