Subletting in Dallas: A Guide for Students and Interns

Who Sublets in Dallas, and When

Southern Methodist University sits in University Park, about five miles north of downtown. The University of Texas at Dallas is in Richardson, north of the city. Both run on semesters: spring ends in May and fall starts in late August.

Dallas draws a large summer intern class in finance, consulting, law and corporate offices, so demand for furnished rooms from mid-May to mid-August is steady. Students leaving for a fall or spring semester abroad make up the rest. Most apartment leases here run a full twelve months, which is why a summer away often means subletting.

Where Students and Interns Live

• Near SMU: the blocks around Hillcrest Avenue and Mockingbird Lane, Lower Greenville, and the Village apartments east of US 75, close to SMU/Mockingbird Station.
• Uptown and Knox-Henderson: between SMU and downtown along McKinney Avenue and the Katy Trail, on the M-Line trolley.
• Downtown and Deep Ellum: next to the office towers and DART’s downtown rail stations.
• Near UT Dallas: the apartments around campus in Richardson, by UT Dallas Station on the DART Silver Line, and the CityLine area on the Red Line.
• Near the northern office campuses: Plano’s Legacy area and Las Colinas in Irving, where nearly everyone drives.

Getting Around

Dallas Area Rapid Transit, DART, runs light rail, buses and the Silver Line. The Red, Orange and Blue lines stop at SMU/Mockingbird Station and run downtown in about 15 minutes. The Silver Line links Richardson and UT Dallas with DFW Airport.

Dallas is built around driving. If your home and office are both a short walk from a DART station, you can go without a car. Otherwise plan on one, and ask about parking and its cost at both ends.

The Rules to Check Before You Sublet in Dallas

Texas is stricter than many states. Section 91.005 of the Texas Property Code says that during the term of a lease, the tenant may not rent the leasehold to any other person without the prior consent of the landlord. That holds even when the lease is silent. Ask in writing and keep the reply.

Large apartment communities often have a set process for sublets or lease transfers, sometimes with an application for the new person. Ask the leasing office what it requires.

Stays under 30 days are a different question. Dallas passed short-term rental rules in 2023 and they have been tied up in court since, so check the city’s short-term rental page for the current status before you agree to a short stay. A sublet of 30 days or longer, with the landlord’s consent, avoids the question.

How to Sublet Your Place in Dallas

1. Read your lease for a subletting, assignment or re-letting clause. In Texas you need the landlord’s consent even when the lease is silent.
2. Ask your landlord or property manager in writing. Give your dates and say you will send the subtenant’s name. Keep the written approval.
3. Tell your roommates before you list. If they are on the lease, they usually need to agree too.
4. Set exact move-in and move-out dates that sit inside your own lease term.
5. Price it near your own rent. Add up what you pay each month for rent and utilities and start from that number.
6. Put the deal in writing: names, dates, rent, utilities, house rules, and what happens if plans change. Both of you sign and keep a copy.

Pick a subtenant on the stay only: dates, ability to pay, references, pets, smoking. It is illegal to choose or refuse someone because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or family status, and state and local laws protect more traits.

• How to Handle Your Sublet, Start to Finish
• Going Abroad: The Apartment Checklist

How to Find a Sublet in Dallas Without Getting Scammed

Work out your drive or DART ride first, because distances are long. Start looking six to eight weeks before you arrive, and earlier for a summer stay.

Sublet Buddy lists sublets of 30 days or longer. Its listings are live in New York City today, and Dallas is on the way.

• See the place in person, or on a live video call where the person walks through it and shows the street outside.
• Ask whether the landlord has approved the sublet in writing, and ask to see that approval.
• Never pay a deposit or rent before you both sign a written agreement.
• Be wary of pressure: a price far below nearby places, a lister who cannot show the place, or a request to pay today by gift card, wire or crypto.

• How to Avoid Sublet Scams (Written for New York, but the Warning Signs Are the Same)
• See Every City