Question 1

What is a lease takeover in NYC?

Accepted Answer

A lease takeover is when a new tenant takes over the remaining months on your lease — usually with the landlord's consent through a lease assignment. If approved, the new tenant becomes responsible for rent, you're released from the lease, and you avoid paying overlap rent or a break fee. NY Real Property Law §226-b governs assignment and sublet requests in NYC, but the specifics depend on your lease and your landlord's response — we recommend reviewing the request with an attorney before sending.

Question 2

How is a lease takeover different from breaking a lease?

Accepted Answer

Breaking a lease usually means paying 1–2 months of rent as a penalty, losing your deposit, or owing the landlord until the unit is re-rented. A lease takeover replaces you with a matched renter, so the apartment is never empty — that's the legal trigger that ends your obligation under most NYC leases.

Question 3

How much does Leaseswap cost?

Accepted Answer

Free. We don't take broker fees, percentage cuts, or charge to list your apartment. Our business is alerts for renters, not commissions on takeovers.

Question 4

Will my apartment be posted publicly on StreetEasy or Reddit?

Accepted Answer

No. Your listing is shared privately with renters in our network whose saved searches match your apartment — it never appears on public rental sites or social media. You decide who sees it and who you reply to.

Question 5

How fast can I find a replacement tenant?

Accepted Answer

Most matched takeovers receive their first interested renter within 48 hours. Median time-to-hand-off is under 2 weeks for apartments listed 2–8 weeks ahead of move-out. The earlier you list, the more matches you'll see.

Question 6

What if my landlord won’t allow a lease assignment?

Accepted Answer

NY Real Property Law §226-b governs lease assignment and sublet requests, and the outcome depends on whether the landlord's reasons for refusing are reasonable, the specific terms in your lease, and the format of your written request. We'll give you a template letter as a starting point — review it with a New York real estate attorney before sending so the request is set up correctly for your situation.

Question 7

Do I need to show the apartment myself?

Accepted Answer

No. Renters in our network have already saved searches matching your apartment, so they reach out only when it’s a fit. They share their move-in window and budget upfront. You decide who to meet or video-call.

Question 8

What information do I need to list?

Accepted Answer

Address, rent, bedrooms, lease end date, and a few photos. The whole listing form takes about 4 minutes. You can save and come back if you don't have everything yet.

Hand off your
NYC lease.

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The clean way to break a lease.

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Cleaner closeout

Lease takeover, explained.

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