Can a Landlord Ignore or Refuse my Request to Sublet in Louisiana?

Under Louisiana law, unless the lease prohibits subleasing, a landlord may not unreasonably withhold permission to sublet.

Reasonable Refusal

There are no Louisiana statutes or guidance for what kind of refusal is reasonable, so you can follow the general rule of thumb: an applicant can only be reasonably refused if it can be proven that they would put the landlord's business at risk. If there is no evidence that they would have the ability to pay the rent reliably as a subtenant then there are grounds for reasonable refusal.

Unreasonable Refusal

Associates Commercial Corp. v. Bayou Management, Inc. established that whenever a lease in Louisiana says that the landlord must give written consent, the landlord cannot arbitrarily withhold consent.

This means that any refusal without cause is considered unreasonable.

Also, the Federal Fair Housing Act and the Louisiana Fair Housing Act prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, disability, familial status or marital status. A landlord cannot refuse to rent or negotiate different terms based on these characteristics.