Mistakes Students Make While Subletting That You Can Prevent

By Victoria Robertson on April 22, 2015

Subletting an apartment is stressful and confusing, especially when there is limited help from the leasing office. Many students will be subletting for the first time, which means many students will require help as to how to go about subletting.

The best way to alleviate this situation and help ease students into it is to help explain to them the basic rules to the sublet as outlined in the lease, so they know exactly what they’re getting into before they end up losing out because of mistakes that could have been prevented.

Here are some of the things students will need to know prior to subletting their apartment, and that are often not outlined ahead of time so that students end up surprised and feel taken advantage of.

1. Students are responsible for damages while subletting.

This is one of those facts that most students aren’t fully aware of before they decide to sublet their apartment. It’s extremely important information that students should know prior to any sublets, as this can be a determinant as to whether or not it’s actually “worth it” to sublet the apartment.

Leasing offices should alert students to the potential costs of subletting their apartment, especially when any damages are the financial responsibility of those subletting the apartment.

2. How to switch names on the utilities.

Setting up utilities can be difficult, especially when students have never done so before. So when switching utilities over to the new sublets, it can be a confusing process.

Leasing offices should let students know the best way to go about this, as well as how to talk with the sublets about setting up the utilities so they are all ready when they move in.

In past experiences, students have turned off the utilities and the new sublets move in without knowing this, and usually it takes about two days to get these back up and running.

Having resources available such as this so that students are prepared ahead of time, would be much more beneficial to the tenants as well as help to avoid any mistakes.

3. What students are liable for.

Another thing many students aren’t aware of is that they are actually liable for anything lost/stolen even after they sublet.

Any lost keys, damaged items in the apartment, lost/stolen appliances, furniture, etc. all falls to the responsibility of those that are subletting the apartment.

If these liabilities could be not only outlined in the lease, but also reiterated to students prior to subletting the apartment, these liabilities would become less of an issue/cost to students down the road.

4. The best way to find sublets.

Finding sublets for an apartment is very hard, especially during the summer as many students are leaving campus or already have an apartment lined up.

Leasing offices should provide their tenants with an outline as to how to find people to sublet the apartment (whether it’s easier through social media, finding friends, etc.) and help students in determining who is worth subletting to and who to stay away from.

5. Cleaning the apartment.

Again, there are multiple fees associated with dirty apartments at the end of the year, and even if the apartment is being sublet, the original tenant will be responsible for this fee as stated in the lease.

This should be outlined in the lease, so that students don’t end up getting stuck with fees they aren’t expecting after everyone has moved out of the apartment for the year. Also, this should be reiterated at the sublease signing, just so all parties are aware of the costs and it can be discussed so this doesn’t come as a surprise later on.

Subleasing an apartment isn’t something that students will know how to do right off the bat, and that is something leasing offices should take into consideration. The idea will be brand new to most tenants, and that’s how it should be approached.

Come time of the end of the spring semester (and winter, for those studying abroad, etc.) the leasing offices should hold informational seminars on subletting, or be more open/approachable to students that may need this sort of information.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get Student Housing News Monthly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format