What do your lease and your landlord say about subletting a room?
Start with the paper, not the roommates. Pull up your lease and look for the subletting or assignment clause, then ask your landlord or the leasing office how they handle a sublet of one room in a shared unit. Some leases need written approval, some charge a re-let fee, and a few prohibit subletting outright.
Roommates are a separate question from the landlord. Whether your roommates have a formal say depends on how the lease is written, so read it and ask. If you are not sure what a clause means, ask the landlord, and talk to a lawyer for anything beyond that. Wroomly does not give legal advice, and nothing in this guide tells you what your lease means.
Michigan has a state law on rental agreements, the Truth in Renting Act. It is linked at the bottom as a reference. Read it yourself or ask someone qualified, because a summary here would not be safe to lean on.
Whatever the answers are, get them in writing before you list. An email from the landlord is better than a memory of a hallway chat.
How do you bring your roommates in before you list?
Treat it as a household decision, because it is one. Your roommates will share a kitchen, a bathroom and a thermostat with whoever takes your room. Tell them first, before the listing goes up and before anyone has toured.
The U-M Dean of Students page on finding housing and roommates tells students to get the landlord and roommates to agree to a sublease in writing, and to never rely on a handshake. It also points to a sublease contract template on the university's off campus housing site. Wroomly is independent and not run by the university, so use that page for the current template.
In that first conversation, cover four things: your dates, what you plan to charge, how you want to pick someone, and what is a dealbreaker for them. Ask what they want. Do not announce what you decided.
How do you split rent, utilities and the deposit with a subletter?
Decide the split before you meet anyone, so there are no surprises later. Your rent is a number you know. What the subletter pays is a separate number, and the how to price your sublet guide walks through setting it. Rent figures change week to week, so check the live Ann Arbor rent page rather than a number from a blog.
Utilities are where roommate sublets go sideways. List every shared bill: electric, gas, water, internet, trash. For each one, decide whether it is split evenly, included in the subletter's rent, or billed by actual use, and who is the name on the account. Tell prospective subletters which bills are on top of rent so they can budget.
The deposit has two layers. Your landlord may hold a deposit in your name already, and you may want a separate deposit from your subletter to cover damage or a missed payment. Write down the amount, who holds it and when it goes back. Put payments through a trackable method and never send money before seeing the room, as the how to pay for a sublet safely guide explains.
Remember that you commonly stay on the lease. If the subletter stops paying, your name is still the one the landlord knows, so ask your landlord what their process is and put your plan for that in writing too.
How do you choose a subletter fairly with your roommates?
Pick by the things that affect the household: dates, rent, references and house rules. Agree on that short list with your roommates before you read a single message, and use the same list for every candidate.
Keep it fair: never choose, screen or turn someone down based on race, religion, sex, family status, disability, national origin or any other protected class. Do not word a listing that way either. If a question is not about dates, money, references or house rules, leave it out.
A good process is simple. Ask each candidate for their dates and a reference, hold a short video call or meet in public, and then let your roommates meet the top choice before you commit. Your roommates can say they are comfortable or not, and they can raise house rule concerns. Ask your landlord whether they run their own approval on top of yours.
Verified UMich students on Wroomly carry a blue check, which shows a student verified with their university email. It is a trust signal and not a guarantee, so still check references and see the place in person.
What goes in writing before move in?
Write it down while everyone is still friendly. A one page roommate agreement with the subletter, signed by you and your roommates, beats a group chat nobody can find in March. Use the checklist below as a starting point and adjust it to your house.
This checklist is a planning aid and not a legal form. For the sublease itself, use the landlord's form or the university's template, and read your own lease.
List your room free on Wroomly once your roommates and landlord are on board.
| Topic | What to decide | Write down |
|---|---|---|
| Shared cost split | Which bills are shared, who holds each account, how the subletter pays their part | Each bill, the split, the due date and the payment method |
| House rules | Guests, quiet hours, cleaning, kitchen use, smoking, pets, parking | The rules your household already follows, in plain words |
| Keys | How many keys or fobs, who hands them over, what happens if one is lost | Number of keys and who is responsible for each |
| Who the subletter contacts | Who they message about rent, repairs, the landlord and house issues | One named person for money, one for the house, and the landlord's contact |
| Move out walkthrough | Condition of the room at move in and move out, who walks through, when | Dated photos at both ends and the day of the walkthrough |
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Frequently asked questions
Do my roommates have to agree to my sublet?
It depends on your lease and your landlord, so read the lease and ask the landlord. Even where roommates have no formal say, they share the home with your subletter, so tell them first. The U-M Dean of Students page suggests getting landlord and roommate agreement in writing.
Who pays utilities when I sublet my room?
Decide it with your roommates before you list. For each shared bill, choose whether the subletter pays an even share, a flat amount included in rent, or actual use, and who holds the account. Tell candidates which bills come on top of rent so they can budget.
Can my roommates help pick my subletter?
Yes, and it usually goes better when they do. Agree on a short list first: dates, rent, references and house rules. Use it for every candidate, then let your roommates meet the top choice. Never choose anyone based on a protected class such as race, religion, sex or disability.
What if my subletter stops paying?
You commonly remain the tenant the landlord knows, so ask your landlord what their process is before it happens. Keep a written agreement with the subletter, track every payment, and hold a deposit if you agreed to one. For anything about your rights, ask a lawyer.
