Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with sublet

Do I want to live in Daddy Day Care?

andoatnp — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:56:42 -0800

What sort of agreements should I make or information should I consider before moving into an apartment that would be used as a daycare during the day when my roommate and I aren't around? I have a meeting in two days to potentially sign a lease for me and a friend to move into a 3 bedroom apartment as subletters. The apartment would be rented by young parents with a 1 year old son who live in a different apartment in that apartment building. During the day (from 7:30 to 4:30) they would hire a nanny who would watch that child and 3 other one year-old-children in the apartment in the living room and using one of the bedrooms. Theoretically, this will only be happening on weekdays when me and my roommate will both be out of the apartment at school. We would be able to make use of that third bedroom at night when they aren't around as some extra space.

Has anyone ever done anything like this before? What sort of agreements should we have in writing beforehand to guarantee a smooth year for us? After having four babies in our apartment for the day, when we get home at 5 do you think it would be immediately obvious that our apartment was a day care, or might we not even realize? [Is this an insane idea that we should avoid at all costs, and instead seek housing elsewhere?]

For what it's worth, we are in Israel, but all our previous real estate transactions have been similar to how they would be in America, so any advice that would apply in America would probably be helpful for us. I'm not looking for legal advice so much, as wondering about any agreements we should reach with the parents/subleasers beforehand that we should be sure to include in the lease. This is a slightly complicated situation, so please let me know if anything is unclear and I can clarify.

Any advice or comments about this situation would be a big help before we sign the lease in a couple of days. Thanks!

Apartment rent being consolidated: stay or go?

amicamentis — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:31:51 -0800

My landlady is going to start charging rent by apartment ($2000/month for all) rather than by room ($530/month for me). Is it worth it to stay? Backstory: I moved to NYC a month and a half ago. I found my current apartment in Jamaica, Queens from a guy on Craigslist. He had advertised it as $530/month, and I would only be responsible for my room (aka if another room was vacant or someone else was late, then that wasn’t my problem). I appreciated the lack of lease because I wasn’t sure how long I would stay there. The Craigslist guy (Bryan) lived in an adjacent room. He is in another country for the summer and hard to get a hold of.

The landlady is a Chinese woman whose English is very poor. Her daughter’s English is fine. I had them approach me when I returned home the other day and told me that since they’ve had issues with other roommates not paying rent (Bryan hasn’t paid for August, these two Ukranian boys in the other room had people in the empty room without telling the landlady, forcing her to clean it again) that now she is going to switch how people pay and charge $2000 for the whole apartment each month, rather than require individual payments.

This sucks. The Ukranians are moving out in early September and the other room is currently vacant. Clearly Bryan is not a trustworthy renter and I do not want to be stuck with his financial problems. However, $530/month is very good for this area, and I also have my own bathroom/two closets in my room that I do not want to give up if I move.

I paid the landlady one month’s security deposit when I moved in and she is allowing me to stay at the same price until October 1st.

Question, at last: based on others’ experiences, what should I keep in mind if I stay? Would Craigslist be the best way to find new roommates? Should I have them sign a lease? Advance deposits? I would rather not be responsible for others in this apartment, but if anyone has some good systems for dealing with this I will listen avidly.

Also, I would rather not have answers relating to lawyers or be in any way contentious. I do not want to be on bad terms with the landlady, and I can definitely understand her frustration. However, I just moved in and have been a model tenant. I don’t like being faced with this difficulty.

Know about a short-term rental in San Diego?

Mr. Gunn — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:12:09 -0800

Anyone have a line on a short-term rental in San Diego? Craigslist has disappointed me. Since I'm not in the area to drive around and look for signs, most things I can find are either vacation rentals, shared rooms, or semester rentals for college students. The kind of thing you'd expect to find in the short-term section of craigslist. None are what I'm looking for, which is a furnished house with a backyard, big enough for two people and a dog, in South Park, from now through December.

So, anyone know of something available that vaguely approximates the above?

Subletfilter

gauchodaspampas — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:36:57 -0800

My roommate and I are looking for a 3rd roommate. We will most likely end up getting a roommate who neither of us knew previously. Should my current roommate and I be the only parties who sign the lease, and technically sublet to the third, in case any problems arise, or should all three of us sign the new lease? What are pros and cons of each. Which option do you think is best. I have seen people mention in previous questions regarding problem roommates that one is more empowered to remove a problem roommate if one is the only party on the lease. That way, one does not need to go through the landlord to get the roommate out.

On the other hand, that of course comes with more responsibility. Theoretically, you could then just kick them out, without having to notify landlord, wait, have landlord go through all legal prerequisites for eviction, wait more, etc etc. But then wouldn't we be the ones having to jump through all the legal hoops? Obviously we could pressure them out, but we couldn't outright kick them out, right? And of course we would be more empowered to kick them out, but then we would be the ones on the hook with the landlord for any damages, rent, or whatever reason for kicking them out, and would have to twist the kicked out roommates arm, rather than letting the landlord do that.

Other thoughts? Keep in mind I am not asking how do I kick out an actual dysfunctional roommate. I am asking if current roommate and I should have only ourselves on the lease, and not the third roommate, to protect ourselves from hypothetical future dysfunctional roommates. Thanks for your thoughts.

And finally, I'm not asking for legal advice. All advice will be taken as practical advice, and not legal advice, you're not my lawyer, etc. I live in Minnesota.

Also, I'm most concerned with worst case scenarios, but FYI, the landlord is a good guy, we have good rapport between us, and I'm sure he'd help us out as much as he could with hypothetical problem roommies, but I just want to be in the best position to protect myself.

How to find an August sublet in Seattle?

grouse — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 13:09:05 -0800

I'm moving to Seattle! How can I find a sublet for August? My job starts in September, but I'm going to move there in August to get settled in and started up. I want to get a sublet before I move from the UK so that I can find a more permanent lease on the ground, looking at the places myself. Also, my new employer refuses to give me a binding contract until I have proof of my PhD which I won't be able to get for another week or so. So I'd rather not commit to a year-long contract until I have the commitment for the job.

I'll be working in the university medical center. I'm interested in living in Wallingford or Fremont, so I wanted to find a sublet there for a month to get used to the area and make apartment hunting easier. But most of the sublets available right now seem to be for July, or July and August, rather than just August. I think there are more sublets available now for the U-District in August, but August sublets in Wallingford might come available later, or as people realize they can't find a renter for July.

Unfortunately I'm going to start traveling on 12 July so I ought to have this nailed down by then. Do you think there is any point in waiting a few days to see if something in my preferred areas comes available, or should I just start looking for something anywhere today?

Should I move out since there is no water?

PinkButterfly — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 09:03:51 -0800

Should I move out since there is no water? Sigh. I'll make this quick.

Subletting a room in a large house in Berkeley for the summer. Top floor has 5 bedrooms, bottom has two apartment units. The landlord lives in one of the rooms on the top floor, as do I and two other people. The two apartments have families in them, including a woman with a disabled daughter.

I just moved in last Wed. (May 28) from SoCal after corresponding with the landlord via email and phone for a few weeks. A Cal student needed someone to sublet the room before she moved in in the fall for school. Spoke with her too, but I couldn't come up and visit before moving in.

On Tuesday, the water was shut off by the city because they said there was an outstanding $1300 water bill. They have not turned it back on yet because...

The day before (Monday) the landlord left for vacation in Europe for two weeks, said he would be unreachable by phone but would check his email frequently. Well...it's 5 days later and he has yet to respond to a single email from anyone who lives here! We called his cell phone only to hear it ringing from his bedroom.

He left the name of a property manager, but when we called her she said she was only standing in as a favor to him and really couldn't do anything. She tried to reach the landlord's business partner, but hasn't been able to. The landlord said he won't be back until June 14.

Can I/should I move out? I tried to get him to sign a lease before I moved in, but he said he wanted to handle it once I got here. My housemates on the top floor moved in early-to mid-May and said he hadn't signed a lease with them either. When I got here on last Wednesday, he was away on business (he said). I didn't meet him until Sunday morning and then he left on Monday.

I sent him a full month's deposit and paid for half of May, even though I was only here from the 28th. I don't want to lose my deposit and don't want him to sue me for the remaining 2.5 months we agreed I was subletting (via email, not official lease).

It's Saturday so it'll be hard to find official help today.

What do you think I should do? Can I move out ? Where can I look for more information?

(I looked up similar questions but they were in other states.)

Is it ethical to make money from subleasing an apartment?

Anonymous — Sat, 24 May 2008 07:14:46 -0800

Is it ethical to make money subleasing an apartment to others while not living there myself? Does the landlord need to know? Specifically, I have a long-term lease on a two-bedroom apartment, and I am pretty sure if I move out into a cheaper apartment that I just found, I can sublease my two-bedroom for more than the monthly amount I am paying to the landlord. In other words, each month until the end of the lease I would be earning money from the sublet.

Is this ethical? I have had people say "that's not fair," but I am having trouble identifying what makes this any different than the "buy low sell high" mentality of stock trading, or, really, from any other kind of real estate transaction.

I sort of think if any landlord were to hear that he could be making more money off his apartment, he would wish he were doing so. So I'm inclined not to tell him how much money the subletters would be paying me.

The lease requires the landlord's "advance agreement" for sublets (it doesn't specify oral or written agreement). I currently sublet one of the rooms of the apartment, which the landlord has approved (orally). So can I simply tell the landlord that I will be doing another sublet, as I have done in the past? In the past, in subletting discussions, there was never any talk about the financial details...the landlord was always getting his rent in full, as agreed in our lease. Am I under any obligation, legal or ethical, to tell him how much money I am subletting for?

What's your opinion on short-term sublets when visiting NYC?

xotis — Mon, 05 May 2008 10:09:07 -0800

What's your opinion on short-term sublets when visiting NYC for a few days, in lieu of a hotel? Is it a safe option? Details: I’m going to be visiting NYC for a weekend at the end of May. I’d like to get a good taste of the city outside of the touristy spots. This is not my first visit to NYC, and I’d like to stay in Brooklyn this time.

I’m considering doing a short-term sublet/rental of an apartment for 3 days/2 nights, rather than staying at a hotel. I’d like to get a better sense of what it’s like to be in NYC than what I feel a hotel can offer. I also like the idea of staying in a place that has a greater sense of being at home, than a hotel offers me when I travel. My budget is around $200 a night if I do a short-term rental.

When I’ve researched the subject, I’ve read some things that have me a bit nervous about a short term sublease/rental.

But, I’ve also read some things that make it sound like a pretty positive experience.

I’ve found a handful of places on craigslist that look awesome, and I have also found a bunch of places on this site that I really dig.

So, to recap – have any of you done a short-term sublet/rental of an apartment for only a handful of days in NYC? What are the reasons to not do this and to stay in a hotel instead (besides the obvious like costs, and conveniences)? What are some good steps to take to avoid getting scammed? I’m just looking to tap into some of your experiences.

Thanks Hive!

PS: I searched the archives, but couldn’t find any posts specific to my question. Your search-fu may be better than mine, so I apologize in advance for wasting your time if this topic has already been covered ad nauseam.

Will I be able to move to Brooklyn in September?

scarylarry — Sun, 04 May 2008 22:47:51 -0800

When should I start looking for a room in a Brooklyn apartment, if I intend to move there in September? And where, besides Craigslist, are the best places to find ads? I am starting grad school in New York in the fall. I'll be moving from Providence, RI. I am planning to live in Providence through the summer in order to spend a few more months close to my girlfriend, who lives here.

I have looked at craigslist posts here and there, but no one is advertising yet for a lease beginning in September. I'd ideally like to rent a single room in an apartment, as I don't have much cash to work with and don't know anybody in the area.

Approximately when will people start advertising places that fit my timeframe? And can anyone recommend some print/web resources other than craigslist? Given my September move-in date and the fact that I'm only looking for a room, I imagine that sublet ads will be as helpful as rental ads....

Oh, also, I am not tied to Brooklyn; I'm just looking to live someplace near school that is relatively cheap and vibrant.

Thanks so much.

Pre-dated checks for a sublet. Sketchy?

thebabelfish — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 09:08:10 -0800

I'm subletting an apartment for the summer (June-August). Is it sketchy to be asked to give the original lessee three checks—two pre-dated for July 1st and August 1st respectively—at the signing? It seems slightly odd, but not necessarily sketchy. The lessee says that she'll cash the checks (after the date they are pre-dated for) in order to pay the renting agency.

Of course, the bank shouldn't cash the checks before the date on each, but do most banks actually check that date?

I'm pretty trusting of the lessee and it seems like a reasonable way to pay her, but I do want to make sure that I'm not falling for a common scam. Thoughts?

10 weeks in London, < $5000. How can I do it?

electric_counterpoint — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 22:42:54 -0800

I'm a Yank who'll be working in London for ten weeks this summer. My budget is really limited, and, with the dollar falling, it shrinks a bit more every day. Right now I could just use some general advice on living cheaply. Quick background: I'm a grad student working for free, living on a grant of $5000, minus airfare. Yikes. I'll be working just north of the City, in Zone 1. This will be from late May to early August.

I've seen a few questions about finding cheap housing, but, on following up on their suggestions, I see that most require at least three months' stay. I'll only be in London for a bit over two and a half, and (though I'd love to) I can't afford to stay any longer. So where should I live, what kinds of flatshare/bedsit/hostel options should I pursue, when should I expect to find places for the end of May on the market, and what generally should I keep in mind to keep my costs down?

Any way around my coop's "no sublet" rule?

SampleSize — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 13:24:01 -0800

I own a coop apartment in New Jersey. They don't allow any subletting at all. Is there any way to get around that? Just doing it and hoping I get away with it isn't an option because I have nosy neighbors who would probably rat me out.

Sublets in London?

vacapinta — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:47:07 -0800

LondonFilter: Thinking of subletting a place in London for 3-6 months. How would I go about doing this? Is there a good website for sublets (preferably furnished)? I've searched previous questions about renting in London but those are more focused on long-term rentals.

Followup question: What neighborhood might you recommend for someone who:
1) Wants to be able to easily explore other neighborhoods during his stay.
2) Is not too too expensive
3) Have an occasional need to head out to Reading (thru Paddington Station?)

Thanks!!

Letting a subletter use your internet connection

sparrows — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 00:31:16 -0800

If you let a subletter use the internet connection that's in your name, what are ideas for holding them to a promise that they won't do things that could get you sued by the RIAA (or arrested)? Is there any legally meaningful way to notify an ISP that Person X, not you, will be the connection's sole user for X months? This will be wired DSL (no wifi).

Can I get out of my lease?

AceRock — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 10:21:48 -0800

I am subleasing my apartment in Chicago. But can I get out of my lease? My roomate bailed on me and so I had to sublease our 2 bedroom apartment and find a studio for myself. I found some new tenants on craigslist (or rather they found me) and they are ready to sign a sublease agreement. My landlord will not release me from the lease AND wants me to sign something new that stipulates that I will remain responsible for the rent for the remainder of my lease (5 more months). First, is there any way I get out of this responsibility for the rent if the new tenants don't pay? Second, what is this new thing they want me to sign, and do I have to sign it? It seems sketchy to me.

How much is your w/d worth?

hattifattener — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 13:17:36 -0800

How much is it worth to you to have a washer/dryer in your building? All else being equal, how much cheaper would an apartment have to be to make up for not having laundry facilities in the building? There's not a laundry in the immediate neighborhood, but you do have a car (and there are plenty of laundries in the city).

I'm asking because I find myself in the awkward situation of having sublet half of my space and, halfway through the lease, losing the w/d the sublessors are using. So, assuming I can't fix that, I'm thinking of offering to reduce their rent a bit to compensate. How much is fair?

Am I screwed?

sunshinesky — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 08:04:21 -0800

yet another Roommatefilter: Subletter informed us yesterday that she would not be staying for October. Problem- she had not planned on paying for it. Any legal recourse?

Any way nice way let this bitch know how badly she's screwed us over?

How can we make sure she learns her lesson? This girl is 17 and it's her first place away from her parents. I'm afraid if we let her off too easy and just absorb the financial screwage, she'll think it's ok.

Suggestions?

My landlord doesn't want a married tenant

penguinliz — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 06:59:04 -0800

LandlordFilter: My landlord is refusing to accept my potential new flatmate as a tenant because she is married. What can I do? I currently rent a two-bedroom flat. My current flatmate is moving out, and I have lined up a new flatmate, Z, who is supposed to move in next week. She is married, but her husband will be doing a masters degree in another city and needs somewhere to live for a year. My landlord is refusing to accept Z as a new tenant because he thinks Z's husband is going to be staying at the flat all the time.

This seems unreasonable to both of us. There is already a clause in the tenancy agreement about how long a guest can stay for (no more than three weeks out of a three month period) and he's not going to be here anywhere near that much. I am allowed to sublet the flat, to which the landlord can object on "reasonable grounds", and I presume if I tried to sublet to Z he would refuse for the same reasons he won't allow her as a tenant.

Any advice on whether it's ok for him to a refuse a tenant for these reasons, or ways to persuade him he's being unreasonable? I don't have any direct contact with the landlord, it's all done through a letting agency. I am in the UK.

Help me not pay twice as much rent!

Anonymous — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 18:17:21 -0800

Moved out: roommate won't give me my last month's rent back. What do I do? The sequence of events -

1) I moved into a room into a two-bedroom apartment (this is in NYC), and signed a sublease agreement with the lease owner (my roommate). The sublease agreement was month-to-month. I paid him the first month's and last month's rent

2) After little more than a week after living there, I told my roommate that I wasn't staying, and that I was moving out. I posted notices up on Craigslist, and found him multiple people willing to take the room (he wanted to make the final decision).

3) I kept on living in the apartment for the next three weeks.

4) Fast forward to now: I moved out after a month, gave him the keys. I asked for the last month's rent back (since I paid two month's rent, but only stayed a month), and he told me that his financial situation was bad, and that he would only be able to give me $20 a month, unless things change or he gets a paying job (which I assume means that he doesn't currently).

On top of that, he told me that I was on the lease as well! I had never heard anything about this, nor had he told me anything about a lease, especially since the agreement was most certainly a sublease/sublet agreement. He said that he just went ahead and put me on the lease, since he thought I would be staying for a while -- but not to worry, since I didn't sign the lease, and so it's not valid. What??

I told him I'd have to think things over - $20 a month comes to a bit more than three years! I was also counting on getting this last month's rent, since my own financial situation isn't that great (credit card debts, etc).

What should I do? What are my options? Small claims? Quite honestly, I'm angry and annoyed, and $20 a month is pretty unreasonable. I know I should have talked to him earlier about this, but I feel like it's pretty obvious that if that I told him that I was moving out after a week or so, he would have set aside the second month's rent to return to me. Also, the thing about me being on the list is strange and kind of creeps me out...

I have an email account at: AskMeRoomateProblem@gmail.com (Yes, 'roomate' is spelled 'roomate'). Thanks, AskMe!

Sublettee responsibilitee?

suedehead — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 22:45:02 -0800

I was supposed to stay a year, but am moving out within the first month. I gave my roommate/sublettor three weeks' notice that I was moving out. Do I have to find a roommate for him? I'm not leasing, but subletting the room. The contact (signed by both parties) stated that it was a month-to-month contract, and doesn't state anything concerning any amount of notice for moving out. I paid the first and last month's rent upfront, and would like to get the last month's back in a civil manner.

My roommate is out of town until the 20th. I emailed my roommate telling him that I was leaving, right after the first week (the 8th). The roommate responded by saying 'let's talk later'. Today, I got a very curt one-line email asking me if I could "please work on finding a replacement?"

Is this necessary? As a subletter, what rights do I have? (I'm in NYC.) I'm of the opinion that since there was no minimum length of contract and since it was month-to-month, and since I gave more than enough notice, I shouldn't be the person responsible for looking for a replacement. At the same time, I want to know if this is the kosher 'thing to do'. I don't want to be evil, but I don't have time to look for someone either. At the same time, I want to get my last month's rent back. What should I do?

Does this sublet sound like a scam?

cotterpin — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 10:42:38 -0800

Does this sound like a scam? I want to sublet for 1 month while I am travelling overseas. I answered an ad and got an odd message. It sounds like the person needs to extend his lease in order to sublet. He wants 1/2 month up front. The room is what I'm told is a great price in London - 650 pounds for a double room in Camden. The room is only for the month of august, and the ad is 2 weeks old. Nothing in the ad is suspicious, but this response doesn't make sense to me.

The person wrote, "if you want to rent my room you have to hurry because I have to tell my landlord to extend my contract and give this room to you one month because I will go back to my country one month."

I haven't heard of any kind of rooming scams, but I am suspicious. Might this be a scam with the 1/2 month's rent up front?

subletting an apartment out shortterm?

jare2003 — Fri, 11 May 2007 08:52:10 -0800

Is it feasible to rent an apartment out for a short time? Like 1-3 weeks? I will be traveling during this summer, am in a high rent area (DC) and was pondering if that was a possibility. I see lots of ads on craigslist for shorterm sublets, and I was thinking of it as an option, especially during summer, when people are in need of more short-term leases or a place to stay that's cheaper than a hotel.

I'm in DC (Mount Pleasant), and it's a studio apt. Thoughts? Has anyone done this before? My thought was that people have had luck with it in DC, NYC, and other high rent cities.

If you have done it, how have you ensured security of your things, gotten a deposit, etc?

Nigeriaphobic

Fupped Duck — Wed, 02 May 2007 13:42:26 -0800

I'm looking to sublet my place for 8 weeks this summer. I am in Soouthern Calif, the potential tenant is in Monaco. She seems upfront and we've discussed everything by telephone. I have nigeria on the mind. How can monies and commitments be exchanged internationally in a way that is comfortable and safe for both parties?

How can I find housing in a city I've barely visited?

moooshy — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 17:20:22 -0800

[Chicago Filter] Moving to Chicago in June. Start work 2 days later. No time to go to Chicago before the move. What's the best way to find an apt? (Everyone on CL wants to meet me first, which isn't possible.) I just found out that I have to move to Chicago for a full time job. The job starts approximately 2 days after I move there, and there's no way I can get to Chicago before June to scope the joint, so to speak.

I know nothing about Chicago, aside from what I've read online -- and I've posted/read Craigslist ads, but everyone wants to meet me first, understandably. I'd like to meet them first, too -- but I can't. This makes securing housing somewhat difficult, and I can't afford a hotel.

Ideally, I'd sublet for the summer before making an attempt to get a longterm lease in the fall -- but if I could find something longterm and decent now, I'd be a happy camper.

I have never moved across the country, nor have my parents -- so we're kind of in the dark about this. I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for such a move, and what might be the best way to proceed (My employer is small, and all of the employees live in the suburbs, so they're not going to know...)

Please help me find a place to live temporarily in Austin, TX.

sequential — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 21:04:27 -0800

Please help me find a place to live temporarily in Austin, TX. In May I embark on a trip to TX. On the way I'll stay with friends, but when the trip ends I'd like to explore the city of Austin as a potential place to live when my current lease ends. I've been searching for house sits and sublets in Austin so that I may stay for a month or longer. In my search, I've concluded that there is a lot of inexpensive, temporary housing available at the end of May and early June. The problem is that I won't be in Austin until the very end of my trip and would like to secure a place before I arrive.

Let me preface this by saying that I've never been to TX. I've been told by clients, coworkers and friends that it's the kind of place I'd thoroughly enjoy, but having never been there, don't really know what to expect. My search has yielded that there are a lot of different neighborhoods, but sadly the names of the neighborhoods have little meaning to me. I'd like to find a place that is close enough to walk to entertainment, food, groceries, and other such things, but not smack dab in the middle of UT, nightlife, or a high crime area. I'm 34 years old, a self-employed IT worker, and definitely not looking for the party life. At the same time I also don't want to live too far away from places where I can get lost in a crowd of people in a cafe, local book store, or even a park.

What neighborhoods would you suggest I look into? What places might I avoid? Other than craigslist, what other websites might help me find the a month to month, roommate, or sublet situation? Thanks for your input.