Cal. Civ. Code § 10-A

Right to sublease

In Force
Verified 9/13/2026 · Next check 9/20/2026
effective 6/28/2019New YorkSublet Rights

Operative Text

Cal. Civ. Code § 10-A
  § 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.
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English

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.

Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on September 13, 2026

Plain English — not legal advice.

For Property Managers

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.

For Tenants

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.

Effective Timeline

Current
Jun 28, 2019
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Related Rules

§ 226-B
Right to sublease or assign
§ 1951.4

Source Information

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