Landlord: The landlord is the person who owns or manages the property, offered the property for rent, and signed a lease with the tenant. The landlord must give permission to the tenant to sublease the space.
Tenant/Sublandlord: The tenant is the party who originally rented the commercial space from the landlord. Once the tenant sublets the space, he or she becomes the sublandlord. A tenant must still report to the landlord and he or she is still held to the terms of the original lease.
The sublandlord is responsible for the subtenant and any damages that are caused by the subtenant.
Subtenant: The subtenant is the person who rents the commercial space from the original tenant, also called the sublandlord. The subtenant will make rent payments and report any lease or property issues to the sublandlord. The subtenant's lease relationship is with the tenant/sublandlord and not the landlord or the landlord's property manager.