Ok to sublease from a tenant? (sublet, apartment, lease)

[samssf]

In my search for a place in SF, I've found someone who wishes to sublet a room in an apartment to me, and I wouldn't be on the main lease. As far as I know, almost no places in SF allow tenants to sublease (including this one).

My question is this: if I take the offer, and the landlord / property manager found out, could any action be taken against me other than to kick me out? I'd assume the current tenant could be sued, but am I breaking a law by not being on the lease if the tenant is inviting me to live there?

[sonarrat]

AFAIK, the act of subleasing is when you have the lease with the landlord, but don't actually occupy it and instead rent the entire unit out to someone else as if you owned it. If you make a roommate arrangement that is outside the terms of the lease, which is still within the occupancy limits for the unit, the worst the landlord can do is kick both of you out.

[ElleBebe]

They may be trying to rent out a room without putting you on the lease to keep the rent down; sometimes landlords will raise the rent 10% or more when a new occupant joins the lease.