Many college students are in the fortunate position of being able to take classes and hold a job in the same city. Other students attend summer school, and do not need to think about what to do with their apartment over the summer. However, an unexpected development in your college career, like an internship or job opportunity, can sometimes create a need to sublet your apartment for a summer.

Most of the horror stories you have heard or will hear regarding apartment subletting involve tenants who have not paid their rent, have damaged the property or have caused the police to visit the apartment. Therefore, it is important to thoroughly screen potential tenants.

Preliminary Screening

Before you begin the screening process though, read your lease carefully. Your lease may prohibit subletting the apartment. If this is the case, talk to your landlord about your predicament. If you landed an internship with a high profile organization, and this internship can make or break your career after graduation, your landlord may be willing to negotiate a new lease that will allow you to sublet. If your landlord rented to you knowing that you are a college student, he or she has probably dealt with similar situations in the past and understands your temporary move.

Even if your lease does allow subletting, it is still a good idea to discuss your plans with your landlord. He or she will most likely have experience in the matter and be able to help when it comes to screening the sublease tenants, which may help you understand why so many leases have a clause prohibiting subletting.

Let Black Tie Moving help you move while you sublet over the summer! Call us at 844-920-2966.

Your landlord can tell you about indicators that will let you know whether an applicant is a good fit or not, and they can inform you about which characteristics you can and cannot discriminate against. For example, you can disallow smokers, but you cannot discriminate against an applicant’s race or sexual orientation. You can make decisions based on gender if you already have a roommate who will have to live with the new renter.

Inform Your Roommates

Your roommates, if any, should be informed of your plans as soon as possible. They may have a friend or relative who needs a place to stay for the summer. They will most likely want to be involved in screening their temporary roommate. Choosing a sublet renter wisely will make it easier for your landlord, roommates and neighbors to welcome you back in the autumn.

Once you have selected a person to fill your rental shoes, you will need to plan your move. Whether you are moving overseas or planning cross-country moving, Black Tie Moving can help you make the move less stressful. We cannot sublet your apartment for you, but we can take care of just about everything else (packing, unpacking, utility setup, moving and cleaning), allowing you to focus your energy and efforts on the details of subletting while we take care of your temporary move.