So you've lined up a summer internship, or maybe you're gearing up to study abroad for a semester. Congrats! Now, the question (that should be) on your mind is:
How do I go about subletting my room (how do I post a sublet)? And…
How do I find a sublet?
Subletting is a great way to avoid paying double the rent, and to subsidize living costs in general. BUT! The process can sometimes be difficult. Don't worry, we've got all this covered. To get started, you can search for and
post apartment sublets on
JumpOffCampus. , as long as you're a registered student (use your '.edu' email address for free sublet postings).
Here are some more pointers. I'll keep it simple, with 4 main things to remember:
1. Check your lease, then double-check with your landlord.
We encourage you to look out for this when you read your lease, even before moving in. Your landlord may not allow it at all, and you definitely don't want to break your lease… especially if you want to
get your security deposit back! Chances are your landlord will be flexible and accommodating to your situation, but it's important to check nevertheless.
2. Check with your roommates.
Some people simply don't want to live with strangers. As always, you want to be respectful to your roommates, and never put them in weird situations. There are way too many
roommate horror stories out there… Don't turn this into another one! Trust us, they'll thank you.
3. Considering subletting to someone? Meet up!
This is super important, but often overlooked. Your subletter is going to be living in your room, using your furniture, and occupying the same space as your roomies, who are going to have to live and interact with this person on the reg. Avoid losing your friends at all costs! Duh. Meeting in-person is best, but a video chat is good enough. Bottom line: if you're going to be subletting to a stranger, you want to make sure they're going to be respectful of your room, stuff, and also roommates.
4. Use a sublease agreement.
All legal mumbo jumbo aside, it's really important to formalize this in writing. Doing so will avoid any costly misunderstandings, and will also cover you just in case something doesn't go as planned (e.g. your subletter leaving food in your room, leading to a bug and vermin infestation). The sublease agreement, or sublet lease, should include basic things such as start and end dates, and the cost of rent, but can get as complicated as you want to go. Generally speaking though, the simpler, the better.
If you're scared that's it weird to ask, keep in mind that
a sublease agreement exists to protect both of you, not just you. It's better for everyone if things are on paper, we promise.
And don't worry about having to draft one from scratch, the
JumpOffCampus Sublease Agreement makes the process easy and serves as an awesome template.
Good luck, and don't hesitate to
let us know if you have any questions or issues!
