Am I liable for property damage caused by a sublease tenant?
Primary leaseholders remain legally responsible to the landlord for any property damage caused by a sublease tenant, even after giving notice to vacate. This ongoing liability leaves tenants vulnerable to unexpected repair costs, withheld security deposits, and further destruction by uncooperative occupants who refuse to leave.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Documenting everything
- 2Planning to file a small claims lawsuit later
- 3Threaten to sue for fraud
- 4Threaten to inform the landlord about the illegal sublet to force a deposit return
- 5Fire the property manager and hire another company
- 6Manage the property yourself
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“after we give him the 3 day notice is there anything I can do to make sure he doesn’t further damage the property?”source ↗
“I’m asking if he causes any damage after my lease am I still responsible for that”source ↗
“After I cleaned the sink, he said I ruined the finish, and now I'm worried he'll never refund the deposit I sent him.”source ↗
“Am I responsible for the repairs or should the property manager have caught this and be held responsible for not taking it out of the previous renters deposit?”source ↗
“Legit multiple holes in the carpet the size of a quarter (carpet only upstairs) they claim it’s normal wear and tear. Idk rubs me wrong.”source ↗
“Should I take action against these property managers?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 17How to get a contractor to fix damage they caused
- 4Neighbor AC leak caused mold and nobody is responding
- 5How to fix laminate floor damage before moving out without losing deposit
- 6How to track appliance warranties and maintenance between tenants
- 3How to find and hire reliable contractors after property damage
- 10How to handle property managers who ignore maintenance billing disputes