Subletting help

April 28, 2009 2:39 PM

I am a fairly inexperienced college student planning to sublet my room (currently renting) for the summer. What's the right way to go about this? (Some lease problems inside)

I moved into this place in January and I am still not on the lease. Ever since I moved in, I assumed that my mom (this is my first time renting) signed and paid my security deposit for me. One of my housemates who handles delivering our rent checks to the landlord--most of the housemates have never seen the landlord--just informed me a few weeks ago that I am not on the lease.

I want to sublet this room for the summer. My housemates tells me that the lease lasts till June/July before it has to get renewed. So, I have a few questions:

1. Should I sign onto the lease now even though it'll need to be renewed in July? And how do I renew a lease when I am in a different state?

2. My room is a little less than $400 without utilities. I would be leaving my bed, desk, lamp and a fan. It seems that I should be charging higher than just the cost of the room because I am subletting a furnished room to a stranger. Thoughts? aka what would you charge?

3. What are some things I should be careful of/be sure to include in my ad? I'm going to be using craigslist to post the ad and I know that my rent is one of the cheapest you can get for a single room in this area. This is probably because the room is TINY and the window sucks.

Room Description: It is a small, but fully furnished room in a 6 person house. The house comes with a wide driveway that accommodates 6 cars, a washer/dryer, 2 bathrooms, a TV, large backyard, internet connection, and a large, furnished kitchen. There is a college shuttle stop two minutes walking from the house. Otherwise, the campus is a 15 minute walk away.

Thanks in advance!

posted by pulled_levers to grab bag (6 comments total)

I'm a college student too with friends seeking to sublet (though I'm not, personally). I've never heard of anyone trying to sublet a room for more than the actual rent, though maybe it happens. All my friends are expecting to sublet for something like 50-100 dollars/month less than the true rent, even though they are leaving their rooms furnished over the summer. But I think this could be a function of supply and demand: lots of college kids go home for the summer, and there are few people on campus looking to sublet. You could certainly ask for more than $400/month, then come down if you need to. But the subletter may be upset once he/she finds out you are making a profit.

All the stuff you listed above under 'room description' looks like the stuff that is typical for summer sublet ads. I'd say you won't need to change that when you post the ad. And anything not in the ad can always be communicated in person with interested parties, later.

Make sure you understand your landlord's policy on subletters, both the official policy (what's in the lease, and if you've been living there/will continue to live there, you really should be on the lease), and the policy as it applies in practice. Around here, many leases disallow subletters, but the landlords understand that it happens and operate on a don't ask/don't tell basis.
posted by notswedish at 2:58 PM on April 28

Regarding your first question, it's basically up to you. I think the liability might partially fall on your roommates if you're living in the house without being leased. Your situation is a bit confusing.

IANAL, but I believe in most states it is illegal to sublet for more than you are actually paying. However, you could call it a "furniture rental fee" if you really wanted, or just make the person you're subleasing it put down a deposit for any damages to your stuff that might happen. In fact, you should do that anyways.

Read your lease and cover your liabilities.

FYI, I am a college student currently subleasing my furnished room.
posted by JauntyFedora at 3:04 PM on April 28

...I believe in most states it is illegal to sublet for more than you are actually paying.

This has also been my understanding. That being said, though, it's not uncommon to ask for the full payment for the duration of the sublet up front.
posted by The Light Fantastic at 3:21 PM on April 28

You aren't on the lease and you're proposing to sublet. This could come back to bite you on the ass in a pretty big way. Get on the lease ASAP, then worry about recouping your rent for the summer.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 4:56 PM on April 28

1. Do you have to sign the lease? Are you being pressured to by your roommate or your landloard? I wouldn't sign the lease unless I was feeling obligated to.

That being said, if you aren't on the lease you really shouldn't need to get a subletter unless it is just to help out your roommates. Since you said they are your housemates and not your friends I'm guessing that they are more acquaintance than anything. Of course if you need your stuff to be there for the summer and you are planning on coming back to live then yeah, you need to sign the lease and yeah find a subletter. But don't try to make a profit on it!
posted by aetg at 4:58 PM on April 28

1. Sign the lease if you intend to keep your stuff in the apartment over the summer and live there in the fall. When you're added to the current lease, the landlord can tell you how to get yourself on the renewal from out of town. Sign the lease now so that you're a legit tenant ASAP.

2. Charge $400 or less, but ask for it in a lump sum at the beginning of the summer to avoid un-fun shenanigans come fall. Here's why: A small, furnished room filled with someone else's stuff isn't as appealing as a small, empty room a tenant can fill with his/her own stuff, so I don't think you have much reason to charge extra. You do, however, have a good reason to ask for payment at the start of the summer given that you aren't able to run a credit check or charge a deposit like a regular landlord would.

3. If I were you, I'd just look at other craigslist sublet ads and see what sounds good. Pictures are always nice, even if you need to emphasize the common areas or use some creative angles for the room itself.
posted by Meg_Murry at 5:55 PM on April 28