Can a Landlord Ignore or Refuse my Request to Sublet in District of Columbia?

District of Columbia law does very little to address subletting, which makes dealing with this topic difficult.

Reasonable Refusal

There are no D.C. statutes or guidance for what kind of refusal is reasonable, so you can follow the general rule of thumb: an applicant can only be reasonably refused if it can be proven that they would put the landlord's business at risk. If there is no evidence that they would have the ability to pay the rent reliably as a subtenant then there are grounds for reasonable refusal.

Unreasonable Refusal

The Federal Fair Housing Act and the District of Columbia Fair Housing Act prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, disability, familial status or marital status.

A landlord cannot refuse to rent or sublet, or negotiate different terms based on these characteristics.