In Virginia, a tenant can legally sublet his or her rental as long as the lease that he or she signed does not specifically prohibit it. As a good business practice, and to prevent any potential issues, the tenant should receive written permission from the landlord.
A sublease is an agreement between the original tenant (sublessor or sublandlord) under a lease agreement for a rental unit and a new individual (sublessee or subtenant) who does not have a direct connection with the original lease agreement; the sublease agreement is tied to and incorporates the original (master) lease. In Virginia, the language in the original lease controls whether a sublease agreement may be created. If the original lease requires the permission of the landlord for the tenant to enter into a sublease, the original tenant (sublessor) must obtain written permission from the landlord to do so; if the original lease contains no language giving permission for the tenant to enter into a sublease, the original tenant (sublessor) should obtain written permission from the landlord to do so. The original tenant (sublessor) is still bound by all the requirements/obligations under the original (master) lease agreement.
A Virginia sublease agreement should include the following sections: