A tenant texted me last month asking whether her cousin could simply take over her lease with eight months still left on the term. That single question u2014 a lease assignment u2014 can turn into a legal and financial headache if you handle it wrong, and I have fielded some version of it at least once a year across my 9 rental units over the past 15 years.
An assignment is not the same as a sublet, and it is not the same as adding a roommate to an existing lease. If you say yes without doing the groundwork first, you can end up with a stranger living in your unit who never went through your screening process at all. Here is exactly how I evaluate and respond every time this request lands in my inbox.
What a Lease Assignment Actually Means
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In an assignment, the original tenant transfers their entire remaining interest in the lease to a new person, who steps fully into the original tenant’s shoes u2014 same rent, same end date, same unit condition clauses. The key difference from subletting is that, once an assignment is complete, the original tenant is typically released from responsibility for future rent. That is exactly why I never approve one casually: I am agreeing to let someone off the hook while accepting a brand-new, unscreened person as my paying tenant for the remaining term, which in this case was eight months.
My First Move: Slow the Conversation Down
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The moment I get an assignment request, I stop discussing it out loud or over text. I ask the tenant to email me a written request stating who the proposed assignee is, why they want to transfer, and the exact date they would like the change to take effect. I then tell them I need 10 business days to review it. That pause matters u2014 it stops an emotional, rushed decision, and it creates a paper trail I can point back to if there is ever a dispute about what was agreed and when.
The Screening I Run Before I Even Consider Saying Yes
I run the proposed assignee through the exact same process I use for any brand-new applicant, no shortcuts. I charge a 15,000 yen re-screening fee to cover the credit and background check, and I require proof that monthly income is at least 3 times the rent. I also insist on contacting their two most recent landlords, not just one, because a single reference is too easy to fake with a friend’s phone number. My checklist for this stage always includes:
- A completed rental application filled out from scratch, not copied from the original tenant’s file
- A credit and criminal background check run within the last 30 days
- Pay stubs or bank statements covering the last 3 months of income
- Contact and verification with the previous 2 landlords
- Government-issued photo ID matched against the application
If any part of that comes back weak u2014 say, income sitting right at 2.5 times rent instead of 3 u2014 I do not automatically reject it, but I do ask for a guarantor or an extra month of deposit before moving forward.
How I Structure an Approved Assignment
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Once someone clears screening, I do not just hand them the old lease. I draft a short assignment and release agreement signed by three parties: me, the outgoing tenant, and the incoming tenant. It spells out the exact remaining term u2014 in this recent case, the 8 months left on the original contract u2014 confirms the rent amount carries over unchanged, and states clearly that the original tenant is released from liability only once every signature is on the page, not before. I also transfer the existing security deposit’s paperwork trail rather than collecting a brand-new one, since Japanese practice around shikikin often assumes continuity, but I always do a fresh move-in condition report with photos so there is no confusion later about who caused what damage.
When I Turn a Request Down
I have said no to roughly 1 out of every 4 assignment requests I have received over the years, usually because income did not clear the bar or a previous landlord described a pattern of late payments. When I decline, I explain the specific reason in writing rather than giving a vague brush-off, and I offer an alternative: the current tenant can pursue an early lease termination for a fee equal to one month’s rent, which on my typical unit runs around 98,000 yen, or they can propose a different candidate. I never leave a tenant with just a flat no and nothing else, because a cornered tenant is far more likely to just stop paying or move out quietly and leave me chasing rent.
The One-Page Reminder I Keep Taped Inside My Filing Cabinet
After getting burned once early on u2014 I approved a family member as an assignee without a credit check back when I only owned 3 properties, and he stopped paying within 4 months u2014 I wrote myself a one-page reminder that I still keep taped inside my filing cabinet: screen every assignee like a stranger, put every step in writing, and never release the original tenant until the new signature is dry. It sounds obvious, but under pressure from a tenant who needs an answer today, it is easy to skip a step.
That is the exact process I run every time an assignment request comes in across all 9 of my properties u2014 slow the conversation down, screen the incoming tenant properly, and get every part of it in writing before anyone is released from the lease.
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