Subletting

If you live in Year Round Housing, you can apply to sublet your room to other eligible UBC students during the summer (May–August).

Live in Acadia Park? You have different sublet guidelines.

Eligible residences

Brock Commons
Exchange
Fraser Hall
Iona House
Marine Drive
Ponderosa Commons (Arbutus, Maple, Oak and Spruce)
tə šxʷhəleləm̓s tə k̓ʷaƛ̓kʷəʔaʔɬ
Thunderbird

Important terms

UBC Contract Holder

The person who has the contract with UBC and is offering their room as a sublet.

Sublessee

The person who is renting the room from the UBC contract holder.

Apply for a sublet

1. Make sure it’s an eligible sublet

There are different criteria for Summer and Winter Session sublets. Plus, the sublet needs to be an eligible length, and the sublessee needs to meet certain requirements.

Is the sublet an eligible length?
  • For UBC contract holders with 12-month long contracts, a sublet must be between 30 days and 4 months long—no shorter or longer.
  • For contracts shorter than 12 months, a sublet must be at least 30 days long, but no longer than one-third of a contract’s duration. (i.e., for an 8-month contract, a sublet cannot be longer than about 2.5 months.)
Is the sublet during an eligible session?

Summer Session (May–August)

Contract holders can apply to sublet their room during the Summer Session (May–August), and the sublet arrangement must meet all applicable eligibility criteria.

Winter Session (September–April)

Some Winter Session sublets may also be approved. To be eligible, the contract holder must be leaving campus to go on either:

  • a UBC co-op term
  • a UBC exchange

The contract holder must remain enrolled as a full-time UBC student for the duration of the sublet. Winter Session sublets can only be one term long (e.g., September–December or January–April).

Is the sublet within eligible start and end dates?

Summer Session (May–August)

For contract holders who are remaining in the same unit for 2024/25, summer sublets may start no earlier than April 15, 2024 and end no later than September 4, 2024.

For contract holders who are moving into the unit for 2024/25, summer sublets may start no earlier than May 6, 2024 and end no later than September 4, 2024.

Winter Session (September–April)

Some Winter Session sublets may also be approved. To be eligible:

  • Term 1 sublets may start no earlier than August 19, 2024 and end no later than January 2, 2025.
  • Term 2 sublets may start no earlier than December 21, 2024 and end no later than April 28, 2025.
Is the sublessee (the renter) eligible?
  • The sublessee must be in good standing with Student Housing and Community Services (e.g., in good financial standing, no current evictions, or no denial of visiting privileges).
  • The sublessee must meet the age requirement for the residence and room type.
  • The sublessee cannot also hold a contract, during the same time period, in any residence operated by UBC Student Housing.
  • For shared, single-gender units only: a sublessee who identifies as a man or woman may sublet in a unit where the majority of residents match their gender identity; a sublessee who identifies as Trans or Non-binary may sublet in a unit with residents whose gender they feel most comfortable with. For any questions, please contact residence.sublet@ubc.ca.
  • For September–April sublets, the sublessee must be a current, full-time UBC student—registered in credit-based courses or a graduate program—during the sublet term.
  • For May–August sublets, the sublessee must be either:
    • a current, full-time UBC student—registered in credit-based courses (minimum 6 credits) or a graduate program—during the sublet term.
    • a person who was a full-time UBC student in Winter Session, Term 2.
    • a UBC student currently employed by a UBC department in a research capacity.*
    • a student from another university performing research directed by a UBC department.*

*The contract holder should provide supporting documentation with the sublet application.

The contract holder and the sublessee must each continue to meet all applicable eligibility criteria to live in residence.

Please email us if you have any questions about eligibility.

UBC sublet forum
Find someone to sublet your room or find a room to sublet.

Visit the forum on Facebook>

Sublessees: avoid sublet scams

Be aware of fraudulent sublet offers—especially offers on non-UBC websites or apps, such as Facebook, Craigslist, Whatsapp, WeChat, Discord, etc.

Red flags:

  • the price seems too good to be true
  • they request advance payment (before you’re able to see the property)
  • they request a cash-only payment
  • they request a cash security deposit or wire transfer

Before you begin, know how to avoid scams.

Not sure if a sublet is legitimate? Contact us for assistance.

If you are concerned that a sublet offer might be fraudulent, or to simply confirm details before proceeding, please contact the Student Housing Main Office.

Please be ready to provide the following information:

  • The address, including the room/unit number, for the sublet offer/listing.
  • The name of the person you have been in contact with about the sublet.
  • The place where you found the sublet offer/listing (i.e., Facebook group, Craigslist, Whatsapp, WeChat, etc.) and the direct URL/link, if possible.
  • A screenshot of the offer/listing details may also be helpful.

While we are unable to release information about a contract holder, we will be able to verify whether or not the particular room/unit/address in the sublet offer or listing exists in a residence building and offer additional support and resources to help you mitigate your risk.

2. Submit your sublet application

Applications must be submitted at least 5 business days in advance of the requested occupancy date. Submitting your application early does not guarantee it will be approved.

At peak periods, due to the volume of applications and related inquiries, it takes much longer for applications to be reviewed. Therefore, it is best to submit your application much earlier than 5 business days in advance.

Please note that sending repeated emails will only add to the volume of inquiries and result in longer overall wait times for applications to be reviewed.

To increase the likelihood that your application may be approved as quickly as possible, we recommend that you double check that your application meets each and every eligibility requirement outlined above in section 1.

Applications must be submitted by the UBC Contract Holder, not the sublessee (renter).

Summer Session (May–August) sublets
Apply online

Apply between March and July each year.

Apply
Winter Session (September–April) sublets
Apply online

Apply between June and December each year.

Apply

Immediately after applying online, send an email to residence.sublet@ubc.ca and include the following info:

  • Your full name
  • Your student number
  • The start and end date of your proposed sublet
  • Whether you are going on an off-campus UBC co-op or UBC exchange term
  • Documentation confirming your official UBC co-op or exchange term

Do I need a sublet agreement?

Definitely. The UBC contract holder and sublessee should have a written agreement that outlines the details of the arrangement.

Items to discuss and include in your agreement
  • Full names, signatures and contract date. Each party should keep a copy of the contract.
  • The start and end dates of the sublease.
  • How much rent is, when it is due and how it should be paid.
  • What the residence standards are. Sublessees must abide by residence standards rules, the same as contract holders. Failure to adhere could jeopardize the contract holder’s ability to live in residence.
  • If you are subletting a shared unit, discuss expectations around roommates and cleaning/maintenance. The contract holder is financially responsible for failure to pass unit inspections during the term of after move-out.
  • Contract holders: consider requiring the sublessee to pay a damage deposit, which is a sum of money—no more than a half month’s rent—that you hold until the end of the sublease term in case property is damaged by the sublessee. Normal “wear and tear” is acceptable, but if damage occurs, you can use the damage deposit (or a portion of it) to cover the costs of the repair. You must pay any remainder, or the full damage deposit—when there is no damage—back to the sublessee within 15 days of the end of the sublease.
Sample Subletting Agreement

Copy the sample agreement below, paste it into a text document (e.g., Microsoft Word or Google docs), print it and sign it. Both the UBC contract holder and the sublessee should keep digital or print copies.

Sample Sublet Agreement

This agreement is made for the sublease of a/an <describe the type (i.e., Studio)> residence unit between the UBC Contract Holder, <insert name of UBC contract holder>, and the Sublessee, <insert name of student subletting/renting the unit>, made on <insert date>. The residence unit is located at <insert full address>.

The subleased premise is to be used for residential purposes only. It may not be lent to or used by a person other than the approved sublessee or used for short-term rental services like Airbnb.

Duration

The Sublessee will take possession on <insert date> at <insert time> and vacate the premises by <insert date> at <insert time>.

Payment

The Sublessee will pay the UBC Contract Holder $<insert cost> per month, on the <insert number (i.e., first)> day of each month.

If rent is not received by the <insert number (i.e., first> day of each month, a $<insert cost> late fee will be added to the amount of rent due.

Rent is to be paid by <e-transfer, cheque, or money order>, made payable to <insert full name>, and should be mailed to <insert address>.

Security Deposit

The Sublessee will also pay the UBC Contract Holder a security deposit of $<insert cost>. At the end of sublease period, the UBC Contract Holder will examine the condition of the premises. Costs for any damage to the premises caused by the Sublessee (beyond normal wear and tear) will be deducted from the security deposit. The remainder, or the full damage deposit – when there is no damage – will be paid back to the sublessee within 15 days of the end of the sublease. The UBC Contract Holder may also use the security deposit, or a portion of it, in cases where the Sublessee has unpaid rent or outstanding late payment fees.

Residence Standards

The Sublessee must live and behave according to UBC’s Residence Standards and the Residence Contract. If the Sublessee contravenes any of the policies and regulations, the UBC Contract Holder has the right to provide notice of the complaint and request remediation of the situation by a specific date. If the Sublessee does not resolve or remediate the situation to the satisfaction of the UBC Contract Holder, the Contract Holder has the right to terminate the agreement with two weeks’ notice.

This sublet agreement is only valid if Student Housing and Hospitality Services has approved the sublet.

UBC Contract Holder <insert UBC Contract Holder’s typed name and signature>
<insert date>

Sublessee <insert Sublessee’s typed name and signature>
<insert date>

After the sublet is approved

Who pays the rent to UBC?
  • The sublessee pays rent to the UBC contract holder at the agreed upon rate.
  • The UBC contract holder continues to pay rent and fees to UBC Student Housing according to their contract.
How do we exchange keys?

You need to exchange keys at the front desk of the residence where the sublet is occurring.

There are 2 ways:

A. Visit the front desk together

Both the UBC contract holder and the sublessee visit the residence front desk together to exchange keys.

B. Visit the front desk individually

  • Current Year-Round contract holders: leave keys at the residence front desk for the sublessee to pick up before you leave campus.
  • New Year-Round contract holders: sign your new residence contract at your new residence front desk, then leave keys for the sublessee to pick up.
Sublessees: you must bring government-issued photo ID to receive the keys.
Can the sublessee receive mail?

Yes. All registered sublessees can receive mail in your mailbox during their stay. If applicable, you will need to supply them with your mailbox key.

What if the sublessee loses the keys?

If the sublessee loses the unit, room, or mailbox keys, the front desk can provide them with a new set, if they formally checked-in as outlined above. The contract holder will be charged a fee for a replacement key on their Student Housing account.

Residence Standards violations

If the sublessee violates any residence standards, the UBC contract holder may face consequences for their sublessee’s actions. Contract holders are responsible for the behaviour and actions of their sublessee throughout the tenancy.

Questions?

If you have any additional questions that are not answered on this website, you can email us at residence.sublet@ubc.ca. Sublet applications and emails sent to residence.sublet@ubc.ca will be reviewed in the order they are received.

Please note that the assignments staff at the Student Housing Main Office can only answer general questions about subletting in person or over the phone. They will not respond to any inquiries seeking approval of a sublet application.