Summer subleting (Madison: sublease, sublet, apartments)

[nachobioteck]

Hi everybody!

I am an international student that will be attending to UW-Madison from August 15th to May 31st. I have been offered for a room in a very good location, 5 minutes walk to the campus, all utilites internet included, etc. But the lease is for a complete year, and I won't be able to pay the rent once I return to my country.

My question is: How easy is to sublet a room for the summer, with the opportunity of make a lease for the next year to the person who take the sublet? i.e. from June 1st to July 31st.

Thanks for all to all of you!

Best wishes!

[Megan1967]

Subletting isn't too hard if you are flexible about the price. You never get the total rental amount and end up having to pay the landlord the difference.

I would contact the landlord about getting the room back at the end of the lease. Sometimes the subleter finishes up your lease and other times the landlord just writes them a whole new lease, in which case you might not get the room back.

Have you considered staying for the summer. Madison is heavenly in the summer (hellish in the winter).

[MidwesternBookWorm]

It is usually quite easy to find a sub-lessee for the summer, but the problem will be finding someone who's willing to pay full price. There are a lot more apartments available in the summer than there are sub-lessees looking to rent, so they can afford to be choosy and shop around for the best price. You may wind up having to pay at least part of the rent over the summer, even if you do find a sub-lessee. And remember also that legally speaking, YOU are the one who is ultimately responsible for the rent, so if the sub-lessee doesn't pay, you'd still be on the hook for paying, because the landlord has a contract with you, not with the sub-lessee.

There are ways to improve your chances of finding a good candidate, maybe even one who'll pay close to the full price. Start the search for a sub-lessee EARLY. Keep your apartment neat and tidy, so that if a prospective sub-lessee comes to see it, they'll be more interested. Talk to your landlord to let them know if they have any renters for the 2010-2011 lease year who want to get in early, your place would be available. Some landlords will even keep lists of their tenants who want to sublease, to give out to people who call for summer leases.

When you do find a sub-lessee, you definitely want to write up a formal agreement with them. Again, get your landlord involved; they may have a sublease form that they would want you to use, one that lays out all the necessary terms and conditions. And you may wish to consider collecting a security deposit from your sub-lessee, which you would return to them once the landlord returns your security deposit to you. That is to increase the chances that the sub-lessee will leave the apartment clean and undamaged when they move out, so that your security deposit won't be forfeited.

I would also recommend that you contact Tenant Resource Center for information on leasing in Madison in general and help with sub-leasing in particular. They are a wonderful source of information and help for tenants, particularly for someone like yourself who is not familiar with the tenant/landlord statutes of the city and the state.

Good luck to you in your move and in your academic career!

[nachobioteck]

Thanks a lot!! you have very nice in giving me such good answers!

I really appreciate it!

Thanks again!



All the best for you!

Ignacio