How to find a sublet in Denver

Some tips and advice on finding the apartment of your dream – start your search with these sites.

Editorial Team

By Editorial Team

denver skyline denver sublet

When life is predictable, a mortgage or a long lease can make sense. But what if you suddenly need to relocate and need to find an apartment or sublet in Denver?

Maybe you got a new job, or maybe you’re sick to the death of your current roommates. Whatever your specific situation, finding a short-term rental apartment in Denver is much easier than it used to be, thanks to the internet and social media.

If a one-year lease isn’t in the cards for you, you might be considering a sublet.

If you’re concerned about landing in legal hot water, rest assured that the vast majority of sublet arrangements in Denver are perfectly legal.

You will want to check the terms of the original rental agreement.

But unless there’s a provision that the landlord must approve sublessees, you can make any arrangement you choose.

Ready to start your search?

Here are some of the top resources for finding Denver sublets.

Key things to look for in a Denver sublet

Depending on the setup of your sublet, you will want to ask the current tenant questions like:

  • What do I need to do when I move in and out? Does the building have any special procedures?
  • Is the rent all-inclusive, or will I need to pay for utilities?
  • What are the public transportation options nearby?
  • What are the best places to eat and drink in the neighborhood?
  • Is the apartment pet-friendly? (If you have pets)
  • Are there any rules in the building that I will need to follow?
  • What kind of security deposit is required, and how will these funds be reimbursed?

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Start your search for a Denver sublet with these websites

Denver has a thriving rental scene, including sublets, and there are sites that are purpose-built to help you find a new short-term rental apartment.

All of these easy-to-browse sites are set up to help renters looking to get out of their leases early find new tenants.

Craigslist

Sometimes the old-school approach just works.

Craigslist may be a no-frills platform, but it’s still one of the best places to find a Denver sublet.

Just be sure to check the site often for new listings, as the market moves fast. You’re likely to find sublets throughout Denver with all of the need-to-know information, including rent, listed right in the title of each ad.

Best of all, you can simply call, text, or email your potential new landlord for more details without having to register or hand over your personal information.

Sublet.com

As the name suggests, this giant repository of apartment listings has sublets, as well as ads for furnished apartments, roommates, and vacation rentals. You can browse by city, lease term, and more, or simply type in exactly what you’re looking for.

Also, most listings include great photos so that it’s easy to picture yourself in your future Denver apartment.

SpareRoom

Yet another listings website, SpareRoom matches people who want to sublet with people who are looking to move on before the end of their leases.

In addition to sublets, the site has ads for roommates and sometimes even entire apartments. You will have to register to view listings, but you can use your Facebook account instead of creating a new profile.

Look for a furnished apartment rental in Denver

Sublets are a common solution for short-term housing in Denver.

But they might not be the right option for you. There are also companies like Blueground that offer furnished apartment rentals for a month or longer.

All in all, Blueground directly manages all of its Denver furnished apartments, so there are no surprises after you move in. The pictures that you see on the website are exactly what you will find waiting for you on move-in day.

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Our team carefully outfits each of our Denver rental properties with custom furniture and high-tech extras like SmartTVs so that nothing is left to chance.

Most Blueground apartments have in-unit laundry, making it even easier to feel right at home. Blueground leases are completely flexible, so you can stay for as little as 30 days or for a year or longer, rather than committing to a six-month or 12-month lease.

Are you phone shy? Don’t worry, our guest app even lets you request maintenance, contact our tenant support team, and schedule apartment cleanings.

Try a student portal to find a Denver sublet

Are you in college or university?

Denver University’s ULoop housing site has a specific section for sublets, with Craigslist-style ads with photos, rental details, and contact info.

Although seasonality is a huge factor here you may find your perfect match. Most of the ads have email addresses or phone numbers, so you won’t need to sign up to use ULoop.

Another site to try is UniLodgers, billed as the world’s largest student housing provider. There are fewer student apartments listed here than on ULoop.

But the feature-rich site lets you browse listings near the University of Denver or Johnson & Wales University.

Find a short-term Denver apartment using a vacation rental site

You may be familiar with vacation rental sites like Airbnb if you’re a frequent traveler.

But did you know that you can also use these sites to find long-term housing?

Almost all of the homes listed on these portals are furnished, which is helpful if you’re looking to move to town with only what you can take with you on a plane.

You can also find a more flexible selection of dates than on a more traditional apartment rental site, though be warned that this means you will likely pay more as well.

Since the prices tend to be higher on these platforms, they’re best if you’re looking for a Denver sublet for three months or less.

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Airbnb

Using Airbnb to find a Denver sublet isn’t so different from looking for an apartment in Rome for three days or a weekend share with friends.

If you don’t already have an account you’ll need to create one to communicate with your potential new landlord.

Once you’re set-up, just enter the dates you’d like to stay and you’ll see options with prices per month rather than per night. It’s worth noting that many rental options on Airbnb are rooms in shared apartments or entire homes.

So if you want private space you may want to consider a flexible furnished apartment in Denver from a provider like Blueground.

VRBO

VRBO, short for Vacation Rentals by Owner, is similar to Airbnb in that private residences are listed by their current tenants or the property owner.

The site focuses mainly on standalone homes.

So don’t expect to find many shared Denver residences or roommates looking for a new recruit here.

Overall, the site is a lot like Airbnb in terms of facilitating short-term rentals, but you won’t find as many homes that are available for a month or longer.

You will need to create an account to do any serious browsing.

But you can use a variety of social media accounts to register, making the process quite user-friendly in the end.

Use Facebook to find a property rental in Denver

Almost everybody is on Facebook these days, and if you’re looking for a short-term rental in Denver, you can rest assured that someone has posted their apartment on Facebook because they’re looking for a sublessor.

All in all, the best place to start is Facebook Marketplace, which has a number of listings from Denver renters or property owners. You can narrow things down even more by typing sublet into the search box.

Facebook Marketplace lets you use Facebook Messenger to communicate with your potential new landlord to ask questions about apartments.

Editorial Team

Editorial Team

The Blueground editorial team covers the best things to see, do, and experience in our cities around the world.