Am I allowed to sublet my apartment or assign my lease to someone else in Qatar?

No, not without your landlord's permission. Article 14 of Qatar's Property Leasing Law (Law No. 4 of 2008) explicitly states that a tenant may not sub-let or assign all or part of the lease to a third party without the written consent of the landlord. This applies whether you want to sublet the entire property or just a room, and whether you are assigning the full lease or only part of your rights under it.

If you proceed with subletting or assigning without written approval, you risk breaching your lease agreement, which could be used as grounds for the landlord to seek eviction through the Rental Disputes Committee under Article 19. Verbal agreements with your landlord are not sufficient — always get consent in writing and keep a copy.

There is one notable exception worth being aware of: Article 18 deals with the specific situation where a tenant or their heirs sell the rights arising from a lease for commercial premises such as a factory, shop, or craft business. In those circumstances, the law does allow for a transfer of lease rights with certain conditions. For standard residential subletting, however, written landlord consent remains an absolute requirement.