Renting an apartment can have its perks and its problems.
As summer approaches, one of the problems some Keene State College (KSC) students face is finding people to sublease their rooms while they head home for the summer break. On that same note, others are looking for places to exclusively rent during the summer.
Samantha Moore / Art Director
Coordinator of Student and Community Relations Robin Picard said her office gets calls often around this time of year about students looking for places to live for a few months while they complete a class, internship or job. She said she advises students to look online or on social media outlets. In addition, a new website called Places4Students is currently a project in the making. “Over the summer, we’ll have a brand new website up with subletting options available,” Picard said.
She explained there are many reasons for students looking to sublease, including taking a semester off, for safety reasons such as keeping an apartment active to prevent break-ins, working during the summer or studying abroad. She said for students who want to both live off campus and study abroad, they are taking a risk going into it. “If they can’t find someone to sublease, they’re required to pay for the months they’re gone, so a lot of students live on campus,” she said.
However, Picard said the option of switching with another student can help. “But it’s not something you do lightheartedly,” she said. “It’s a good idea to vet the person.” Picard listed ways of doing this by talking to others who might know the person in question or by looking them up online to see what kind of person they are.
KSC junior Olivia Indorf said not knowing the person who would be moving in would be one of her concerns. However, she said she found subleasing to be beneficial. “I’ve considered it myself,” she said. Indorf said the only other thing she would be concerned with would be the person leaving a mess. “If people have to move out, they should move out all their stuff as well,” she said. However, she said she didn’t think this issue is too prevalent.
Picard brought up that there are certain steps a student looking to sublease needs to take. One of these steps is writing up a legal contract between the one subleasing and their potential replacement. “You’re responsible for that person,” she said.
Picard acknowledged that the other tenants should get involved as well since they’ll be the ones living with the replacement. She noted that often, it can be better if the person looking to sublease is more of an acquaintance than friend, saying this can even pertain to students who aren’t looking to sublease but live together. “You don’t have to be best friends living together. Sometimes it’s better not to be,” she said. “You can sign up to live with your best friend, but that doesn’t mean you’re compatible living partners.”
Picard noted the biggest factor in subleasing one’s apartment is getting their landlord on board. “A lot of leases say it’s not allowed unless with special permission,” she said. “The best way to go about subleasing is to have your landlord sign them on.”
Property Manager of Keene Cribs Trevor Grauer said he’s open to subleasing. “I understand it’s beneficial, so I try to be accommodating,” he said. Grauer acknowledged it’s much more a benefit to the student than landlord. “It can be a burden for the landlord. It’s a lot more paperwork and more internal issues,” he said.
He said for the most part, it all works out. “There’s at least one every year or a few in the summer,” he said. Grauer said he appreciates knowing what’s going on just in case there are issues, however, he said that even if he does know, the responsibility always falls on the person subleasing. “It’s up to them to get the money,” he said. “I make it very clear. I have a contract with Cribs that states it’s between themselves.”
He recommended a subleasing student to get a security deposit from the new tenant as well. Grauer said, “Just because you sublease a room and leave doesn’t mean you don’t have any responsibility left.”
Dorothy England can be contacted at dengland@kscequinox.com