Can My Landlord Refuse to Let Me Sublet in Arizona?

If your lease bans subletting entirely, then you may be out of luck—your landlord’s not legally required to allow you to sublet your unit. But a lot of Arizona leases have a clause that allows subletting with landlord approval. As a tenant, you should understand when it’s legal for a landlord to turn down a potential subletter—and when it’s not.

In most states, landlords can only “reasonably” reject a proposed subtenant. In Arizona, there are court decisions that help clarify what's considered a legitimate reason to turn down a subletter. These include:

• An inability to abide by the terms of the lease (for example, they have a dog but the building has a strict “no pets” policy)
• Proof of financial irresponsibility or instability (for example, a bad credit score or a history of evictions)

What’s not allowed is a landlord turning away a subletter for reasons unrelated to their business. “I just don’t like them” or “Now’s just not a good time for me to be reviewing a new applicant” are not acceptable explanations for rejecting a proposed subtenant. And if you’re hoping to transfer your lease entirely, not just sublet, Arizona courts have also said that it’s unreasonable for a landlord to refuse your assignee just because they want to raise the rent.

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