Sublets in Chicago

If you’re leaving for the summer, an internship, or a stretch of travel, subletting lets you keep your lease without paying for an empty apartment.

1. 1

   Read your lease

   Find the sublet clause, and check whether your building is a condo, owner-occupied, or subsidized, since each has its own rules.

2. 2

   Propose the sublease in writing

   Send your landlord the sublet dates, the subtenant’s name, and a copy of the proposed sublease, and keep the written approval.

3. 3

   Set a fair rent

   Compare with the Chicago median rents on this page.

4. 4

   List on Ohana

   Guests meet you on an intro call with a virtual tour, and Ohana handles payment, the security deposit, and the sublease agreement.

5. 5

   Remember the lease is still yours

   You stay responsible to your landlord during the sublet, so keep every term in writing.

Besides searching on Ohana, most Chicago sublets are posted in Facebook groups and Instagram communities, including:

• Facebook groups: Chicago Apartments and Housing (opens in a new tab) and University of Chicago Apartments and Housing (opens in a new tab).
• Instagram communities: Girls Who Sublet Chicago (opens in a new tab), UChicago Subletting (opens in a new tab), and UIC Subletting (opens in a new tab).

When you post in a group, include your dates, budget, preferred neighborhoods, and whether you want a room or a whole apartment. Before paying anyone you met in a group, check for the warning signs below.

Most Chicago sublet scams, especially on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, follow the same patterns:

• The rent is far below market. Compare it with the Chicago median rents on this page.
• You can’t see the apartment. A real host will show it in person or on a live video call.
• They want a wire, Zelle, or crypto up front. Money sent outside a platform usually can’t be recovered.
• They push you to pay fast. Scammers lean on the summer rush to make you skip steps.
• The photos appear on other listings. A reverse image search takes seconds.
• The address doesn’t check out. Look the building up on the Cook County Assessor’s (opens in a new tab) free property search.

On Ohana, you meet the host on an intro call before booking, the host isn’t paid until you move in and confirm check-in, and Ohana holds the security deposit and refunds it within 7 days of move-out when there are no claims.

Start four to eight weeks before your move-in date, and earlier for summer.

• Summer (June to August) has the most sublets, as students leave and interns arrive in the Loop and River North. Start in March or April.
• Fall (August and September) follows the academic calendar, as students and new grads move in. Start in June.
• January brings winter-quarter and semester starts. Start in November.