Subletting in Peru: when is it legal and what are the tenant's risks?

What subletting is

Subletting means renting out, for money, all or part of a property you yourself rent. Article 1692 of the Civil Code defines it:

“El subarrendamiento es el arrendamiento total o parcial del bien arrendado que celebra el arrendatario en favor de un tercero, a cambio de una renta, con asentimiento escrito del arrendador.”

(Subletting is the tenant renting out all or part of the leased property to a third party, for rent, with the landlord’s written consent.)

Two practical points follow from that definition:

• Renting out a single room counts. The law says “total o parcial”, in whole or in part.
• There has to be rent. If a relative lives with you without paying, our reading is that this is not a subarriendo. It does not free you from answering for what they do in the property, as explained below.

For the basics of a Peruvian lease, see renting an apartment in Peru.

The rule: the landlord’s written consent

The same idea appears in the list of the tenant’s duties. Article 1681 says:

“El arrendatario está obligado: […] 9.- A no subarrendar el bien, total o parcialmente, ni ceder el contrato, sin asentimiento escrito del arrendador.”

(The tenant must not sublet the property, in whole or in part, or assign the lease, without the landlord’s written consent.)

A verbal yes is not enough. If the owner agrees, ask them to put it in writing and keep a copy. If your lease already has a clause allowing subletting, our reading is that the signed clause is the written consent. We did not check whether an email or a text message is enough; a signed document is the safest option.

The main risk: your lease can be terminated

Article 1697 lists the grounds on which a lease can be terminated (resolución). One of them is this:

“El contrato de arrendamiento puede resolverse: […] 4.- Por subarrendar o ceder el arrendamiento contra pacto expreso, o sin asentimiento escrito del arrendador.”

(The lease can be terminated for subletting or assigning it against an express clause, or without the landlord’s written consent.)

These are two separate cases. Subletting without written consent, even if the lease says nothing about it. Or subletting when the lease expressly forbids it. In either case, the landlord can terminate the lease. This page does not cover how the landlord enforces that or what an eviction looks like; see eviction and renting in Peru.

You and your subtenant answer together

Subletting does not take you out of the picture. Article 1693 says:

“Tanto el subarrendatario como el arrendatario están obligados solidariamente ante el arrendador por las obligaciones asumidas por el arrendatario.”

(Both the subtenant and the tenant are jointly liable to the landlord for the obligations the tenant took on.)

Joint liability (solidaria) means the landlord can demand full performance of what you promised in your lease from either of you.

Article 1683 also makes you answer for damage caused by the people you let in:

“Es también responsable por la pérdida y el deterioro ocasionados por causas imputables a las personas que ha admitido, aunque sea temporalmente, al uso del bien.”

(The tenant is also liable for loss and damage caused by the people they allowed to use the property, even temporarily.)

This applies to a subtenant, and also to a relative or guest who pays nothing. If something breaks, the owner charges you. For who pays for which repairs, see repairs in a rented home.

When your lease ends, the sublease ends too

A sublease depends on the main lease. Article 1694 says:

“A la conclusión del arrendamiento se extinguen los subarrendamientos cuyos plazos no han vencido, dejándose a salvo el derecho del subarrendatario para exigir del arrendatario la indemnización correspondiente.”

(When the lease ends, subleases that have not yet run out end too, but the subtenant keeps the right to claim compensation from the tenant.)

For the tenant, this is a concrete risk: if you promised your subtenant a longer term than your own lease, they can claim compensation from you. For the subtenant, it means your right to stay does not go past the end of the main lease. Ask to see that lease before you sign.

Assigning your lease is not the same as subletting

If you want to leave and have someone take your place as tenant, that is an assignment of the lease (cesión del arrendamiento). Article 1696 says:

“La cesión del arrendamiento constituye la trasmisión de los derechos y obligaciones del arrendatario en favor de un tercero que lo sustituye y se rige por las reglas de la cesión de posición contractual.”

(Assigning the lease transfers the tenant’s rights and obligations to a third party who replaces them, and follows the rules on assigning a contract position.)

Those rules require the landlord’s agreement. Article 1435 says “se requiere que la otra parte preste su conformidad antes, simultáneamente o después del acuerdo de cesión” (the other party must agree, before, at the same time as, or after the assignment). Article 1437 adds that once the assignment is made, “el cedente se aparta de sus derechos y obligaciones” (the assigning party steps out of their rights and obligations), which pass to the person replacing you.

The practical difference:

What this page does not cover

We do not cover how the landlord enforces termination of the lease, or the eviction process for the tenant or subtenant. We did not review court rulings or whether an email or message counts as written consent. We also do not cover tax on the rent you collect from a subtenant, or the rules of short-term rental platforms; for those, see short-term rentals and Airbnb.