Vermont subletting rules for landlords: restrict it in writing, require disclosure and use ejectment for unapproved occupants

What can a Vermont landlord put in the lease?

Subsection (a)(1) says a landlord may limit or ban subleasing in a written rental agreement. The landlord may also require the tenant to disclose any sublessee's identity and contact details in writing. Both are lease terms, so the statute works only if your lease actually says them.

How does ejectment fit in?

If the written lease bans subleasing, the landlord or the tenant may bring an ejectment action under 12 V.S.A. 4761 and 4853b against anyone living in the unit without right or permission. This does not limit other landlord remedies under the chapter. Note who else can use it: the tenant may also bring the action, which is useful when a tenant wants a sublessee removed.

Example a made-up landlord in Montpelier has a lease that bans subleasing. A tenant moves out and a stranger remains in the unit. Because the lease bans subleasing and the occupant has no right or permission to be there, the landlord may use the ejectment action the statute describes.

What if there is no written lease?

Under subsection (b), the tenant must still give the landlord written notice of any sublessee's identity and contact information. So even an oral tenancy comes with a disclosure duty. The page I read does not address liability, a response deadline for landlords, fees or a reasonableness standard for refusing a sublessee.

A note on the source

The section was added by 2015, No. 126 (Adj. Sess.), section 3. The Vermont Statutes Online page I read describes itself as an unofficial copy and gave no effective date, so confirm the current text before you rely on it.

Where Vermont landlords slip

The usual slip is relying on the statute without writing the lease clause. The ban and the disclosure duty are lease terms. A lease that is silent gives you little to enforce. Write both in plain words: no subletting without your written consent, and written notice of any occupant's name and phone number within a set number of days. When you find an unapproved occupant, send a written notice first, offer an application, and keep ejectment as the step after you have given a fair chance to regularize. Keep the record of every message.

A practical routine for Vermont owners

Write a short subletting clause and a disclosure clause as separate items, so each is easy to point to. At move-in, hand over a one-page summary of the rules. Ask tenants to tell you promptly when anyone else will live in the unit, and keep the replies. If you discover an unapproved occupant, send a dated letter that cites the lease, asks for the occupant's details and sets a date to resolve the situation. Ejectment is a court step, so the letters and the lease are the foundation. A fair, documented process also makes it easier to approve a good subtenant when you want to.

How DoorKeeping fits in Vermont

DoorKeeping keeps a Vermont tenant's sublet or assignment request in the unit's message thread with the date it arrived, the proposed occupant's details and your reply. A tenant's disclosure of a sublessee is stored with its date, which is the written notice the statute asks for. This is general information, not legal advice. Check the current statute and your lease before you act.

Sources

1. Vermont Statutes Title 9, Section 4456b, Subleases; landlord and tenant rights and obligations (Vermont General Assembly), read Oct 30, 2026

Questions

Can a Vermont landlord ban subletting?

Yes, in a written rental agreement (9 V.S.A. 4456b(a)(1)).

Does a Vermont tenant have to tell the landlord about a sublessee?

Yes. The landlord may require disclosure in the written lease, and without a written lease the tenant must still give written notice of the sublessee's identity and contact details.

What remedy does a Vermont landlord have against an unapproved occupant?

If the written lease bans subleasing, an ejectment action against anyone living in the unit without right or permission.