Write a letter asking to assign

Information about the tool

This tool creates a letter asking your landlord if you can assign your rental unit.

After you answer a series of questions, you’ll get an email with the letter. Review it carefully and make any changes you want.

Note: CLEO does not store your personal information.

What you need to get started

To use this tool, you need:

your email address
the name and address of your landlord
the date you want the assignment to start
the name of the person you want to assign to if you have this information

What's assigning

When you assign, another tenant takes over your rental unit. You must move out, along with any other tenants who share your rental agreement. And you can't move back in.

You must get your landlord's agreement to assign.

If you want to be able to move back, you may be able to sublet. We have a tool that lets you write a letter to your landlord asking to sublet.

You can't assign if you live in:

most subsidized housing
a superintendent's unit
housing provided by a school where you work or are a student

If your landlord refuses

There might be steps you can take. For example, if your landlord won't let you assign at all or does not give you an answer within 7 days, you can move out with 30 days' notice.

Fees and expenses

If your landlord agrees to let you assign, they’re allowed to charge you a fee. The fee can't be more than your landlord had to spend on things like a credit check and advertising if the landlord found the new tenant.

If you have questions about what fees your landlord can charge, it's important to get legal advice.

Your information

Fields marked with an asterisk * must be filled in.

Select the number of tenants living in your unit, including you (see instructions below) *

Who is a tenant

Usually, anyone named on your lease or rental agreement is a tenant. It’s likely that anyone else you live with is an occupant, not a tenant. For example, this might be a new partner or adult child who moved in after you signed the lease.

Children under 16 are never tenants. It’s more complicated for children who are 16 or 17 and not living with their parents or guardians.

CLEO's tool Sharing Rental Housing? may help you figure out who to list. And the Landlord and Tenant Board has a guide that explains who might be a tenant.

If you’re still not sure, get legal advice before you start.

My name (see instructions below) *

First

Last

What names do I have to enter

To assign the unit, all of the current tenants must move out. If some of the current tenants plan to stay, don’t use this tool.

You must enter the names of all of the current tenants. Enter your name first, and then if there are more names, you'll enter them as tenant 2, 3, and 4.

My address *

Address line 1

Address line 2

Town/city

Province

Postal code

My email (where this letter will be sent) *

Email

Confirm Email

My signature (see instructions below)

Clear Signature

Adding your signature

You can add your signature now or when you get the email with your letter. If you do it now, you won't have to print off and sign your letter and then scan it before sending.

You can sign using your mouse if you're on your computer. You can sign with your finger if you’re using a touch screen device like a phone or tablet.

If you want to re-do your signature, click on the X in the top-right corner of the box.

If there are more tenants from your unit that need to sign, see the fields below.

Landlord information

You have to enter your landlord's name. You don't have to enter an address or email address. But if you don't, the letter will have a blank space where this information would go.

Landlord’s name *

First

Last

Landlord’s address

Address line 1

Address line 2

Town/city

Province

Postal code

Landlord's email (we won't send the letter to this address)

Email

Confirm Email

Assigning information

Have you found someone to assign to *

If you have not found someone to assign to, you should continue looking. You won't be able to give 30 days' notice to move unless your landlord:

says you can't assign at all, or
does not respond in 7 days to your request.

Enter the date you want the assignment to start (see instructions below) *

You can choose any day. It does not have to be at the beginning of your rental period. But choose a day after the date you want the landlord to reply.

Date you’ll send the letter *

Enter the date when you want your landlord to reply (see instructions below) *

Date when you want a reply

The law gives your landlord 7 days to reply. You start counting the 7 days on the day after you send the letter. For example, if you send the letter on June 15, your landlord’s deadline to reply is June 22.

If you don’t hear from your landlord 7 days after sending them this letter, you can give 30 days’ notice to move.

You can decide to give them only 7 days to reply, or a longer amount of time.

Get your letter

To review the information you entered, click "Previous" at the bottom of the page.

Before clicking "Submit" to get your email, read what's below.

You must sign the letter before sending it to your landlord.

To send by email:

select "Forward" on the email you receive
review the content and make any changes
add your signature if it's not already there
add your landlord's email address and press "Send"

Send the letter by email only if your landlord has told you in writing that it’s okay to send things this way.

To send by mail or give to your landlord in person:

copy the text of the email you receive into another program, like MS Word
review the content and make any changes
add your signature if it's not already there

Make sure to keep a copy for yourself.